NASSCO to build two containerships for Matson
Matson Navigation Co. of Honolulu has contracted General Dynamics NASSCO to design and build two LNG-ready containerships. The 870-foot Kanaloa-class vessels will carry up to 3,500 TEU and ro-ro cargo.
“Using proven design standards, the design incorporates LNG-capable main and auxiliary engines, which are compliant with Tier 3 emission requirements,” NASSCO said in a news release. “The design accommodates future installation of an LNG fuel gas system.”
NASSCO will build the vessels at its San Diego shipyard. The ships are based on a design NASSCO developed in partnership with Daewoo Ship Engineering Co. The partnership has yielded four separate designs since 2006 used by five Jones Act operators.
“NASSCO’s deep history and reputation for quality give us confidence that these new ships will be the most advanced, efficient and productive vessels in our fleet,” Matt Cox, Matson’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
The Jones Act ships for Matson will run between Hawaii and West Coast ports. Construction will begin in 2018 and deliveries will occur in 2019 and 2020.
Vane Brothers orders three ATB tugs from Conrad
Conrad Orange Shipyard in Texas has finalized a contract to build three articulated tug-barge tugboats for Vane Brothers of Baltimore.
The 110-by-38-foot tugs will be based on a design from Castleman Marine of Panama City, Fla. The tugs will be mated with 405-foot, 80,000-barrel tank barges designed by Bristol Harbor Group of Bristol, R.I. Conrad’s Amelia, La., yard will build the barges.
Twin Cummins QSK60M Tier 3 engines rated for 2,200 hp each will provide the propulsion on the tugs. The mains will be coupled with Reintjes WAF 873 gears turning 102-inch four-blade propellers. Auxiliary power will come from two Cummins 125-kW generators, and a third Cummins generator will provide emergency power.
The tug and barge units will be linked using a Beacon-Finland JAK 700 coupling system. The first tug, to be named Assateague, is scheduled for delivery in August 2017.
Vigor delivers fireboat to San Francisco
The San Francisco Fire Department has taken delivery of a new fireboat built by Vigor at its Seattle shipyard. The $11.8 million vessel is called Fireboat 3 for now, but local schoolchildren are competing to rename the vessel. It will be christened this fall.
Jensen Maritime Consultants of Seattle designed the 88-by-25-foot vessel, which features twin Cummins QSK19 engines and has a top speed of 11.5 knots fully laden. It has three Counterfire ESF 300-550 fire pumps capable of 18,000 gallons per minute and four water cannons.
Fireboat 3 is the third fireboat in the city’s marine fleet, joining Phoenix and Guardian. It will fight fires, perform search and rescue and myriad other tasks in waters off San Francisco.
All American Marine building 500-passenger tour boat
Argosy Cruises of Seattle has signed a construction contract with All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., for a 125-foot aluminum tour boat. Teknicraft designed the 500-passenger aluminum monohull vessel, which will carry passengers between Seattle and Tillicum Village in Blake Island Marine State Park near Seattle.
Propulsion consists of twin Scania DI 16-080M engines and auxiliary power will be supplied via Northern Lights 65-kW and 40-kW generators.
Passenger amenities include indoor and outdoor seating and viewing platforms for photos of Mount Rainier and the Seattle skyline. There also will be a section for weddings and other ceremonies.
“We have been working hard to reach this point and are truly excited about the comprehensive design and features that this new boat will offer to Argosy while moving the bar for our future designs," said Matt Mullett, CEO of All American Marine.
The boat will be built at All American’s Squalicum Harbor shipyard in Bellingham Bay. The company did not release an expected delivery date for the new vessel.
Harvey Gulf takes delivery of MPFSV
Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla., has delivered a multipurpose field support vessel to Harvey Gulf International Marine of New Orleans. Robert Allan Ltd. of British Columbia provided plans based on its RAmpage 6400 design.
The 212-by-59-foot vessel, Harvey Stone, is one of the first Tier 4 vessels at work in the U.S. Propulsion comes from twin GE 12V250 MDC engines producing 9,374 total horsepower linked with Reintjes 3414P HL marine gears and Schottel SRP propellers in nozzles. The vessel also has Schottel thrusters, Cummins generators and MacGregor winches.
Harvey Stone will work at Shell Oil’s Stones deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico, where it will support lightering operations at the company’s floating production, storage and offloading site. The tug also will perform assist and escort work for large oil field ships as needed.
Eastern also is building Harvey Sub-Sea and Harvey Blue-Sea for Harvey Gulf, two 340-foot multipurpose supply vessels designed by Vard Marine.
Stealth ship Zumwalt leaves Bath Iron Works
The U.S. Navy’s stealth destroyer Zumwalt left Bath Iron Works' shipyard in Maine in September for its home port in San Diego with a crew of 147 sailors. The 610-foot DDG 1000 sailed under the command of Capt. James T. Kirk.
The Zumwalt class features "a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, a wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design and the latest warfighting technology and weaponry available,” the Navy said in a news release.
Zumwalt is the first Navy warship with an integrated power system that generates 78 megawatts of power. The ship also has the capacity to adopt future weapons and computing systems as technology changes.
The vessel will be commissioned on Oct. 15 during Fleet Week in Maryland. Zumwalt is named for Admiral Elmo “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., the chief of naval operations from 1970-74. Two other ships are expected in the Zumwalt class in the coming years.
Gladding-Hearn delivers fast ferry to Hy-Line Cruises
Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding has delivered a 493-passenger catamaran ferry to Hy-Line Cruises of Hyannis, Mass. Grey Lady IV is the fourth high-speed ferry the Somerset, Mass., yard has built for Hy-Line and the largest in the company’s fleet.
Incat Crowther provided the design. Propulsion on the 153-by-34-foot all-aluminum ferry comes from four Cummins QSK60-M Tier 3 engines, each delivering 2,200 hp, with four Hamilton HM721 waterjets. The ferry also has Twin Disc MG61500SC horizontally offset gears and a 125-kW Cummins QSB7-D (M) generator.
Peter Duclos, president of Gladding-Hearn, said the vessel will have a top speed of 34 knots fully loaded. Grey Lady IV also can maintain similar speeds with three engines running at full capacity, he said.
“This kind of margin and redundancy is just prudent business for a ferry that will operate close to 5,000 hours per year,” Duclos said.
Grey Lady IV will carry passengers between Hyannis and Nantucket Island year-round.
