On the Ways

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS Midship Marine delivers high-capacity catamaran ferry to Seastreak

New York Harbor commuter ferry operator Seastreak upped its game in December with the arrival of the Courageous, a 720-passenger aluminum catamaran vessel built by Midship Marine, Harvey, La. The new vessel stretches by 7' the eet’s last 150'×40' acquisition, the Commodore, delivered in 2018.

The Courageous now ranks as the largest capacity high-speed ferry in the U.S., company officials said.

“It’s basically a sistership, but it’s a couple of frames larger,” said Seastreak president Jim Barker. The other difference is upgrades in passenger amenities and comfort, he added: “It’s a couple of notches above any ferry boat I’ve ever seen.”

With steady increases in passenger volume and company growth, Seastreak of cials made the decision to go even bigger in 2019, stepping up from the 600-passenger capacity of the Commodore. As the Covid-19 pandemic struck in spring 2020, the company saw ridership plunge.

But Seastreak persevered with the newbuild plan. The new vessel’s name was conceived that summer as a tribute to medical workers who continued to travel by ferry to treat Covid patients, said James D. Barker, Seastreak’s director of business development and marketing.

After making the transit from New Orleans to New Jersey, the Courageous started service in mid-December, running peak departures including 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. out of the Seastreak terminal at Highlands, N.J.

An important design difference with Courageous is a modi ed bow radius that allows more versatility with bow loading at different landings, said Brian Achille, Seastreak’s director of engineering. That includes matching the bow to The Steamship Authority’s docks at Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., a big summer destination for Seastreak customers that the company hopes will surge back in summer 2022. The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod.

Main propulsion for the Courageous comes from four MTU 12V4000 M64 main engines producing 1,398-kW (1,873 hp) at 1,800 rpm each. The mains are connected to four KaMeWa 5654 waterjets.

Ship’s service power is the responsibility of twin John Deere 6068 SFM85 gensets and the new ferry is USCG certi ed Subchapter K.

The company had its best season ever in 2019, and with the easing of restrictions during 2021 saw commuter ridership return to almost 60% of 2019’s numbers. The arrival of the Covid Omicron variant and new pre-

Seastreak says its new 720-passenger catamaran now ranks as the largest capacity high-speed ferry in the U.S.

cautions in New York City — delayed of ce reopenings, Broadway shows temporarily halted and other setbacks — dropped ridership back to around 25% of 2019’s ridership in late December, Jim Barker estimated.

“Hopefully this will be temporary and short-lived,” said Achille. Commuters have been saying they planned on returning to city of ces in January, so operators are hoping for that once the latest Covid surge subsides.

With a wheelhouse electronics suite by Furuno USA, the Courageous has a distinctive LED lighting system on outdoor areas of the vessel with a red, white and blue color scheme.

Another major upgrade is the latesttechnology insulated glass in the cabin windows, that both solar load on the passenger space and fog-free views — “a huge problem” on older boats during the frigid harbor winters, said Barker.

“Boasting the highest level of interior nish of any high-speed ferry ever built, passengers will commute with ease,” and enjoy “360-degree open-air views, two fully stocked bars, and specially designed engine and jet room noise insulation ensures riders a comfortable and quiet commute,” the company said in announcing the delivery.

“We put in a lot more insulation for sound deadening,” including the vessel’s waterjet room, said Achille. Other noise reduction was added to generators and the engine exhaust system.

The Courageous has been appraised at $18 million, “and I don’t think you could build it for less than” $20 million, said Jim Barker.

He credits the success to Seastreak’s relationship to Midship Marine. The shipyard kept the project moving forward despite three Covid-related closings and Hurricane Ida, and it proceeded without any penalty for delay, said Jim Barker.

“They did a great job,” he said. “We built this without a change order.”

“We started our relationship with Midship back in 2011” with the rst of several repowering projects, said Achille. The Seastreak Highlands ferry is in line for repower next winter if ferry ridership continues to recover.

Operated since 1989 by the Hinojosa family, Midship builds a range of vessels, including the Incat Crowtherdesigned Ultra Jet I and II catamaran ferries recently delivered for work in the Yucatan tourist industry.

“They’ve got orders, and they’re full,” said Jim Barker. “These boats are built with a handshake. It’s a very high level of trust.”

Seastreak’s volume in December was

BOATBUILDING BITTS

American Patriot Holdings

American Patriot Holdings LLC (APH) issued a request for proposal (RFP) in December to seven U.S. shipyards for construction of four inland river container “hybrid” design vessels. The RFP also includes options for up to four additional 1,864TEU, 595’x106’ vessels. Shipyard responses to the RFP for fi rm pricing and delivery schedules are due by Feb. 11. Final construction award by Miramar Beach, Fla.-based APH will be on or about April 1.

Bollinger Shipyards LLC has delivered the 154'x25' Clarence Sutphin to the Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. It is the 47th fast response

Bollinger Shipyards Inc.

The new patrol boat is the last of six FRCs to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain. 1,864-TEU, 595'x106' container vessel.

cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program. The new patrol boat is the last of six FRCs to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Islandclass patrol boats built by Bollinger 30 years ago, to support the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, the Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the U.S. For the FRC, which has a draft of 9’6”, Bollinger is using a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. Main propulsion comes from twin MTU 20V4000 M93L diesel engines, producing 2,900 hp each.

In other Bollinger news, the shipyard announced in January that it will construct a new pontoon launcher for General Dynamics Electric Boat (Electric Boat) to support the construction and launching of the U.S.’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. New subs will replace the aging Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and is a top strategic defense priority for the U.S. The concept and contract design for the

496’x95’ pontoon launcher was from Bristol Harbor Group in Rhode Island. The detail design engineering will be performed at Bollinger in Lockport, La. The launcher is scheduled to be delivered to Electric Boat’s Groton, Conn., shipyard in 2024.

The Navy took delivery of the future USS Canberra (LCS 30) at Austal USA on Dec. 21. The 421'6"x103.7' aluminum trimaran vessel is the second Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) Austal delivered to the Navy in 2021. Acceptance trials for LCS 30 were completed in early November demonstrating to the Navy the successful operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment. Main propulsion for LCS 30 comes from twin GE LM2500 turbines and two MTU 20V 8000 marine engines connected to four Wärtsilä steerable waterjets. Running speed is 40 knots. Austal USA also announced that immediately after finalizing a deal on a new repair facility in the Port of San Diego, the shipyard placed an order for a floating drydock. The new floating drydock, optimized to efficiently dock small surface combatants and similar sized ships, will be the centerpiece of the new repair facility. The 531'x154' drydock will have a 9,000-light-ton lifting capacity and a maximum draft of 36’ (11 meters). Construction on the drydock began in December and it is scheduled to be fully operational in Austal’s new San Diego repair facility by August 2023.

Ingram Marine Group announced in January that David O’Loughlin will retire as CEO of the company effective Feb. 1. John Roberts, the company’s current chief operating officer will take the helm as the new president and CEO at that time. O’Loughlin will stay with the company as vice chair for the remainder of 2022 to assist with the transition.

Fincantieri Marine Repair, a division of Fincantieri Marine Systems North America, welcomed its first commercial customer to Commodores Point in downtown Jacksonville, Fla., in January, marking the start of operations in northeast Florida. Fincantieri announced in December that it would provide repair and maintenance services to military, commercial, and large private vessels on the East Coast beginning in 2022.

A 700-metric-ton Marine Travelift boat hoist has made its debut at Bridgeport Boatworks in Bridgeport, Conn. The addition augments the 75- and 200-ton lifts already in operation. Bridgeport Boatworks specializes in servicing recreational yachts as well as commercial vessels of most shapes and sizes.

The Shearer Group Inc. (TSGI) has promoted Joshua S. Sebastian and Harrison C. Brann. Sebastian, a 13year veteran of the firm, has been promoted to vice president — operations. He will be responsible for all business aspects of TSGI. Brann, a senior naval architect and seven-year veteran of the firm, has been promoted to engineering manager.

Acceptance trials for LCS 30 were completed in early November 2021.

Ingram Marine Group

John Roberts

about 2,400 one-way trips per day on Tuesdays through Thursdays and fewer trips on Mondays and Fridays. After the late 2021 plateau in ridership, the company was looking forward to more commuters returning. — Kirk Moore

Main Iron delivers another ASD tractor tug to Bisso Towboat

Main Iron Works, Houma, La., has delivered the 100'×38'×13.5' Capt. Joseph Bisso to Bisso Towboat Co. Inc., New Orleans.

The 6,008-hp Capt. Joseph Bisso is the fifth ASD tractor tug the shipyard has built in the past seven years for Bisso.

The Capt. Joseph Bisso brings the total number of tugs in the Bisso fleet to 12, all of which were built by Main Iron Works. Bisso continues its technology leadership in the Mississippi River ship-assist trade with the largest fleet of ASD tractor tugs on the Lower Miss with nine, and the youngest fleet of tugs, with an average age of 13 years across the fleet, according to Scott Slatten, Bisso Towboat’s president.

Slatten indicated that with the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, Bisso is probably going to take a break for a few months before starting construction on another new tug.

With the uncertainty of the work force in the U.S. over the past 18 months, it would have been tough to hire a crew of four needed for the new tug. But not to worry. “She is replacing an older tug we sold,” said Slatten. “We have a lot of long-term crewmembers with an average tenure for our captains of about 30 years and have little turnover.”

Main propulsion for the Capt. Joseph Bisso comes from twin Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main engines, generating 3,004 hp each at 1,800 rpm, which drive two Schottel SRP 460 FP Z-drives. The Z-drives feature 2,500 MM diameter 4-bladed stainless-steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles.

The new tug carries an ABS International Loadline in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a USCG COI.

Estimated bollard pull is 75 tons.

Ship’s service power is provided by two 118-kW Caterpillar generators powered by two Caterpillar C4.4 engines. The tug is equipped with a JonRie Series 240 escort winch featuring 500' of 3"-dia. Saturn 12 line with 749,000 lbs. of breaking strength.

Other features include USCGapproved engine room monitoring and fire and smoke alarm systems, fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system, Simrad navigation/electronics, soundproof insulation throughout the engine room/ crew quarters, stainless steel bitts and bow staple and four bunk rooms with seven berths.

Tankage includes capacities for 30,162 gals. diesel fuel, 11,000 gals. potable water, 1,825 gals. each of lube and hydraulic oil and 2,000 gals. of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF).

The new tug carries an ABS International Loadline in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a Coast Guard COI. — Ken Hocke

Rodriguez Shipbuilding delivers 78' lugger tug to Weeks Marine

In January, Coden, Ala.-based Rodriguez Shipbuilding delivered a new 78'×30'×11'6" modified lugger tug

Weeks Marine to Weeks Marine, Houma, La. The James K was designed by the shipyard, the owner, and MINO Marine, New Orleans.

With a 10'6" draft and ½" steel bottom and side shell plate, the new triple-screw tug is powered by three Cummins QSK-19 MRCS diesels, producing 800 hp at 2,400 rpm. The engines are connected to Kahlensburg 4-bladed 66"×54" props through Twin Disc MGX-5222 DC marine gears with 6.10:1 reduction ratios. The propulsion package gives the James K a running speed of 9.5 knots.

The James K was built to “support Weeks Marine’s dredging and construction projects both on site and making tows throughout the East Coast and Gulf regions,” said David Tuck, Weeks’ chief engineer and projects manager.

Ship’s service power comes from twin Cummins QSB-7 DM gensets, sparking 65 kW of electricity each. The tug has a bollard pull of 24 LT, controls by ZF Electronic, and a Jastram electric-over-hydraulic steering system.

There are accommodations for a crew of eight and four passengers.

The electronics package includes Furuno SC-130 Sat compass, FA-170 AIS, Navpilot-711C auto pilot, twin GP-33 GPSes, FCV-628 depth sounder, BR-500PA bridge alarm, two 1945 radar 1 (6 kW), twin FR-8125 radar (12 kW), FMD-1945 radar repeater, LH5000 loudhailer, two Rose Point nemo gateway, Rodriguez general alarm, Astron N2412-24 24VDC/12VDC, 10 Standard Horizon VHF radio, two ACR RCL-95 LED spot lights, Perko 16" spot light, Xenon 16" spot light, Airmar 220 WX wind gage, and an Alpine CDE-172BT Sirius radio.

The James K is USCG certified, Subchapter M and carries a 24VDC/240AHr battery backup system for all Coast Guard required equipment and lighting. — K. Hocke