Shipbuilding News, September 2018

Red and White Fleet takes delivery of hybrid tour boat

San Francisco tour boat operator Red and White Fleet has taken delivery of a battery-electric hybrid vessel that’s the first of its kind built in the United States.

The 128-foot Enhydra is an aluminum monohull with three decks that can accommodate up to 600 passengers. Teknicraft Design of New Zealand designed the vessel, and All American Marine of Bellingham, Wash., built it at its new facility on Bellingham Bay.

“The Enhydra is another step in transforming our entire fleet to zero (pollution), for the benefit of future generations anywhere in the world,” said Thomas Escher, president of Red and White Fleet, a company that dates back to 1892.

BAE Systems supplied the HybriDrive propulsion system that features twin 80-kW lithium-ion battery packs, generators and AC electric traction motors. Two Cummins Tier 3 engines fueled with biodiesel will provide additional power and also charge the batteries.

Red and White expects the vessel will be able to run certain tours on 100 percent battery power, eliminating emissions and engine noise.

“The Enhydra is going to change the way people experience San Francisco Bay with its sleek aesthetics and quiet hybrid drive,” said Joe Burgard, Red and White's vice president. "We see it not only as the first step in moving our fleet to zero emissions, but also leading our industry to a cleaner future.”

Davie delivers first North American-built LNG ferry

Davie Shipbuilding of Levis, Quebec, has delivered the first ferry built in North America that is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The 300-foot Armand Imbeau II can carry up to 110 cars, 16 tractor-trailers and 430 passengers. The vessel operated by Societe des traversiers du Quebec (STQ) will operate on the Tadoussac/Baie-Sainte-Catherine route across the Saguenay River northeast of Quebec City. The ferry also has icebreaking capability to operate in Quebec’s cold winters.

Wartsila supplied a fully integrated system aboard Armand Imbeau II, including the dual-fuel engines, fuel storage and other critical components.

“At the Societe des traversiers du Quebec, we are committed to protecting the marine environment in which we operate," said Francois Bertrand, interim CEO of the ferry company. "For this reason, we were the first ferry operator in Canada to welcome an LNG-fueled ferry in 2015 (F.A. Gauthier, built by Fincantieri in Naples, Italy), and following this current delivery, we still have a third LNG ferry on order.”

Foss closes Rainier shipyard, cancels 10-tug order

Foss Maritime has closed its shipyard in Rainier, Ore., laying off 10 workers. The decision also scuttled a tugboat project with Damen Shipyards that the two companies jointly announced almost a year ago.

Foss, a Saltchuk subsidiary based in Seattle, closed the yard in late July. A spokesman told a local newspaper that it was the result of an unspecified business decision. Foss continues to operate a shipyard in Seattle.

The Rainier shipyard handled repair work for the company’s tug fleet, and in recent years it also built Foss' 122-foot Arctic-class tugboats.

When announcing the order with Damen late last year, Foss officials said they planned to keep some of the ASD 2813 escort and ship-assist tugs and sell others. Foss said it expected to build up to 10 of the vessels in Rainier.

A Damen spokesman told Tug Technology & Business that the company is still in talks with Foss on several projects.

Metal Shark delivers patrol boats to Alaska Coast Guard units

U.S. Coast Guard stations in three Alaska communities now have new patrol boats built by Jeanerette, La.-based Metal Shark. The five vessels arrived this summer, replacing existing patrol boats.

Two of the 29-foot vessels arrived in Ketchikan in May, followed by one at Station Valdez and two more at Station Juneau in June. The high-speed vessels are designed for search and rescue, law enforcement, security, drug and migrant interdiction, and environmental protection and response, the Coast Guard said.

"We are very excited about acquiring these new boats and the improved capabilities they offer," said Chief Warrant Officer Seth Carter, station and small boat manager for the 17th District in Juneau. "Our crews will use these new boats to provide enhanced support to the Alaskan communities they serve."

The deliveries stem from a September 2011 contract between Metal Shark and the Coast Guard to replace its 25-foot class of small response boats. The first new vessels arrived the following summer.

VT Halter launches ferry, gets Bouchard tug contract

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s latest ferry, Powhatan, was successfully launched recently at VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Miss. The shipyard also announced that Bouchard Transportation of New York has ordered another articulated tug-barge (ATB) tugboat.

The 270-by-65-foot ferry will be operated by the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry Service and will be based at Scotland Wharf in Surry County, Va. It can hold up to 70 automobiles or 14 trucks and buses, the shipyard said in a news release. It also can carry up to 499 passengers, about a third of whom can fit in the passenger cabin or the upper deck.

VT Halter also designed the vessel, which will replace a ferry built when Franklin Roosevelt was president. Powhatan will join the ferry service’s four existing vessels, including Pocahontas, which VT Halter delivered in 1995.

Bouchard’s 112-foot twin-screw tugboat Evening Stroll will have 4,000 horsepower. The vessel is a sister to Bouchard’s existing tugs Evening Star, Evening Breeze and Denise A. Bouchard. It is scheduled for delivery in early 2019.

Bristol Harbor Group Inc. designs New York ferry

Sayville Ferry Service of Sayville, N.Y., has awarded a contract to Bristol Harbor Group Inc. (BHGI) to design a new high-speed ferry connecting Fire Island with mainland Long Island.

The new vessel, designed to meet Coast Guard Subchapter K standards, will carry cargo and up to 400 passengers between Sayville on eastern Long Island and the resort island.

“There is particular emphasis on modernization of the propulsion plant, improvements for passenger embarkation/debarkation and cargo handling, hydrodynamic enhancements and vibration reduction,” BHGI said in a prepared statement.

The contract between the ferry service and BHGI of Bristol, R.I., includes design and marine engineering work.

By Professional Mariner Staff