GULF COAST HEADLINER
The James Dale Robin, the 57th towboat built by Eastern Shipbuilding for FMT
FMT BOLSTERS FLEET
with deliveries from Gulf Coast shipyards
A
lready operating one of the youngest fleets of inland towboats and barges, Florida Marine Transporters is making strategic investments in several series of new towboats and tank barges. The vessels are being built at shipyards and supported by a network of marine suppliers in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Under the guidance of CEO Dennis Pasentine, Florida Marine Transporters (FMT), Mandeville, LA, transports a diverse mix of cargoes such as petrochemicals, chemicals, LPG, crude oil, agricultural liquids and dry cargo. FMT recently christened FMT 6000, the first in a new series of 30,000 bbl tank barges at the Gulfport, MS, facility of the Gulf Coast Shipyard Group (GCSG). Construction on the 297 ft x 54 ft tank barges began at the shipyard in late 2011. While the current contract calls for the construction of 32 barges, it could grow to 50 units if options are exercised. GCSG is delivering one barge to FMT every 25 to 28 days. The barges are based on proprietary engineering developed for FMT by the naval architectural firm Guarino & Cox, LLC, Covington, LA, and are designed to minimize vapors escaping into the atmosphere while increasing safety factors when in operation.
To further reduce emissions, the barges are equipped with EPA Tier III-compliant diesel engines. The new design achieves 6.4 pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure and 2.0 pounds per square inch (PSI) of vacuum with minimum loss of cargo capacity, allowing these barges to deliver more product for FMT’s customers than other barges with similar pressure ratings. The barges are also ice-strengthened in order to minimize damage in harsh winter conditions.
Towboat newbuild programs This past May, Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, FL, delivered the M/V James Dale Robin, the 57th towboat built by the shipyard for the Mandeville, LA, operator. In 2013, FMT exercised options for five additional 90 ft x 32 ft x 10 ft inland towboats, with the first under the contract, the M/V Capt. Troy J. Hotard, was delivered to Florida Marine in February 2014. This ongoing series of towboats originally began with a 25-vessel contract with deliveries starting in 2006. It has expanded to become the largest single towboat build contract in history. The design for the additional five-vessel contract was supplied by Gilbert Associates,
Inc., Boston, MA. These five vessels will be the first in the series with EPA Tier 3 main propulsion engines and generators delivered to FMT. The James Dale Robin has two Caterpillar 3512C Tier 3 diesel main engines rated at 1,500 hp each at 1,600 rev/min, supplied by Louisiana Power Systems. The reduction gears are direct-coupled Twin-Disc Model MG-5600 with a 6.04:1 reduction supplied by Stewart Supply, Inc., Harvey, LA. Electrical power is provided by two 99kW John Deere 4045AFM85 99KW Tier 3 generator sets rated for 60 Hz, at 208 VAC provided by Kennedy Engine Company, Biloxi, MS. These diesel engines comply with the current EPA Tier 3/MARPOL reduction of emissions of NOx from marine diesel engines. FMT is also building a series of larger towboats at Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou LaBatre, AL. The shipyard delivered the M/V Capt. Phillip Box, the seventh 140 ft towboat for FMT, in April. John Gilbert Associates also designed the Capt. Phillip Box. The 140 ft x 42 ft towboat has a draft of 9 ft 6 in and is fitted with two Cat C-280 6-cylinder engines, with a total of 5,400 hp, driving Sound propellers through Lufkin gearboxes. Two Cat C-9 generators support ship’s power. The steering system July 2014 MARINE LOG S1