Shipbuilding News, November 2016

Edison Chouest to build 13 Damen-designed tugs

Edison Chouest Offshore has announced plans to build 13 Damen-designed z-drive docking and escort tugs, nine of which will work in Valdez, Alaska, where Chouest recently won a long-term escort and oil field support contract. 

The Houston-based company plans to build four Damen ASD 3212 tugs rated for 70 tonnes of bollard pull and five Damen ASD 4517 tugs rated for more than 150 tonnes of bollard pull. The latter vessels will be among the most powerful tugs ever built, according to Chouest. The company said the ASD 4517 was developed jointly with Damen to handle the demanding conditions in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

“Chouest was pleased to have this opportunity to take Damen’s proven hull design and helped create a new state-of-the-art escort design representing the most powerful ASD tug ever designed or built,” Gary Chouest, president and CEO of Edison Chouest Offshore, said in a prepared statement.

Chouest also will build four boats to escort vessels into a Corpus Christi, Texas, LNG terminal currently under construction. The company will use the ASD 3212 escort-mooring design for the tugs.

The company will build the 13 tugs at its own shipyards. Delivery dates and specifications for the new boats are not yet available.

Seaspan Ferries takes delivery of hybrid vessel

A Turkish shipyard has delivered the first of two LNG-hybrid cargo ferries to Seaspan Ferries of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 489-foot ro-ro Seaspan Swift was built by Sedef Shipyard in Istanbul. The vessel will carry cargo trailers from Vancouver Island to the Canadian mainland. Seaspan said the ferry can accommodate up to 59 trailers for each run.

Propulsion comes from twin Wartsila 34DF diesel-LNG engines as well as a 1,050-VDC, 546-kWh energy storage system (ESS) consisting of 84 Corvus Energy AT6500 advanced lithium polymer batteries, Corvus Energy said in a news release.

“The ESS will be integrated with an Elkon Electric propulsion and distribution system and will be powered with dual-fuel engines capable of running on diesel and liquefied natural gas, with a Corvus ESS as spinning reserve and power for responsive harbor maneuvering,” Corvus said.

Vard designed the new class of hybrid-powered ferries that will be the first of their kind operating outside Europe. Delivery of Seaspan Ferries’ second hybrid ferry is expected early next year.

Bollinger delivers 20th fast response cutter to Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard has taken delivery of another Sentinel-class fast response cutter built by Bollinger Shipyards.

The 154-foot Lawrence Lawson is the 20th Sentinel-class FRC. It will be stationed in Cape May, N.J., and be ready for deployment to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and beyond, according to a Bollinger news release. The vessel is scheduled to be commissioned early next year.

Lawrence Lawson is based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708 design, which allows for flank speeds up to 28 knots and has the latest control, communication and navigation equipment as well as modern armaments and weapons. The vessel also has a stern launch system for a 26-foot response boat.

The Coast Guard named the ship for Lawrence Lawson, who in 1890 earned the Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal for rescuing crew from the foundering steam vessel Calumet.

Navy commissions littoral combat ship USS Detroit 

The U.S. Navy recently commissioned USS Detroit (LCS 7) in its namesake city before a crowd of more than 6,500 people. Marinette Marine of Marinette, Wis., built the 378-foot vessel designed for multiple missions and combat situations.

According to a Navy news release, the ship features modern communications equipment to seamlessly share tactical knowledge with other warships and aircraft. Detroit’s design allows for several configurations, including deployment for anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare or surface warfare.

"Today is about service. The service of this fine ship, those who designed and built her, those who will support her throughout her lifetime and the sailors and officers who will make it realize its full combat capability,” Adm. Phil Davidson, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said at the Oct. 22 commissioning ceremony.

USS Detroit is the seventh Navy ship to bear the Michigan city’s name.

NASSCO delivers latest ECO-class tanker to SEA-Vista

General Dynamics NASSCO shipbuilders keep churning out big ships.

In early November, the San Diego yard delivered the 610-foot ECO-class tanker Constitution to SEA-Vista LLC. Constitution is the second of three such tankers SEA-Vista has ordered from NASSCO. The yard also has delivered four ECO-class tankers to Kinder Morgan subsidiary American Petroleum Tankers (APT) this year.

ECO-class tankers are equipped for future conversion to liquefied natural gas fuel. The ships’ design promises up to 33 percent better fuel efficiency and features a ballast water treatment system, along with other environmental enhancements. The ECO-class vessels were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Busan, South Korea. 

Like its sister ships, Constitution is a 50,000-deadweight-ton tanker with a 330,000-barrel capacity. Construction began about 18 months ago.

NASSCO has been steadily delivering ECO-class ships in 2016. In April, the yard delivered Independence to SEA-Vista, and it has also laid the keel for Liberty, the third SEA-Vista vessel.

Since June, the yard has delivered Magnolia State, Bay State and Garden State to APT.

Kirby takes delivery of new ATB

Kirby Corp. has taken delivery of a new articulated tug-barge from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding that will carry petroleum and chemicals in U.S. waters.

The twin-screw, 6,000-hp tug M/V Heath Wood will be paired with the 155,000-barrel barge 155-01. It is the first of two ATB units the Sturgeon Bay, Wis., shipyard is building for Kirby, which is based in Houston.

“The fact that this ATB was delivered on time and within contracted costs speaks to the efficiency of our engineering, planning and manufacturing processes,” Todd Thayse, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding vice president and general manager, said in a statement.

“On-time, on-budget delivery is critical to our customers, and, along with consistently high-quality build, it is the basis for retaining and reinforcing long-term relationships,” he continued.

Bay Shipbuilding expects to deliver the second ATB unit to Kirby next summer.

By Professional Mariner Staff