tugs & barges 250 ft x 70 ft x 15 ft 8 in deck barge being built by US Fab at Vigor Industrial’s Swan Island shipyard in Portland, OR. The versatile deck barge will transport everything from containers to heavy equipment in three-times-per-week service between Dutch Harbor and Akutan, AK. Akutan is home to Trident Seafoods, which operates the largest seafood production facility in North America. The deck barge, also designed by Jensen
Maritime, will be outfitted with D-rings to secure containers up to three high. Eight lashing bars running fore and aft will allow other cargo such as heavy machinery to be secured. A 230-ton lift capacity Manitowoc 4100 crawler crane housed onboard will facilitate offloading. It will replace an existing barge in the fleet of Pacific Coast Maritime, a Harley Marine subsidiary. Vigor Industrial Sales Manager Bryan Nichols, says, collaboration with both
Jensen Maritime and Harley Marine during the initial production design of barge “will allow us to have maximum efficiency during construction. We were able to combine shipbuilding best practices with Jensen’s considerable design expertise and Harley’s requirements to finalize a cost effective, [producible] design with a quick turnaround.” The Iliuliuk Bay is scheduled for delivery later this year.
BOUCHARD ORDERS SECOND ATB FROM VT HALTER MARINE Bouchard Transportation Co., Inc., Melville, NY, has exercised its option to build a second Articulated Tug Barge (ATB) unit at VT Halter Marine, Inc., Pascagoula, MS. Singapore’s ST Engineering, the parent of VT Halter Marine, says the value of this ATB unit is in the neighborhood of $100 million (about S$125 million). At 625 feet in length, the two new oceangoing tank barges would be Bouchard’s longest. With a beam of 91 feet and depth of 47 feet, the double-hull barge will have a reported 250,000-barrel capacity, and will be used to transport liquid petroleum. Only the B. No. 245, with a capacity of 252,000 bbl, can carry more clean products than the new tank barge. The new barge is ABS and USCG certified for Jones Act service. The 10,000 hp twin screw ATB tug is classed by ABS as A1 Towing Vessel, Dual Mode ATB, USCG Subchapter M, and will be equipped with an Intercon Coupler System. Construction on the first ATB, the M/V Bouchard Boys and B. No. 270, will begin this month in Pascagoula, MS, with delivery scheduled for mid 2015. This unit will enter into Bouchard’s fleet service in New York, NY. Construction of the second barge will begin in fourth quarter 2013 with delivery scheduled in first quarter 2016. “With the strong confidence and support from Bouchard Transportation, we will ensure that the two ATBs are built to the highest standards in a timely fashion and to the utmost satisfaction of our Customer,” said Ng Sing Chan, President, ST Marine. ■ 46 MARINE LOG April 2013