BOATBUILDING BITTS

Metal Shark Alabama, Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the 70'x23' ferry Fire Island Maid to Fire Island Ferries, Bay Shore, N.Y., in March. Designed by Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), Seattle, the multipurpose vehicle ferry features a steel hull and aluminum superstructure and is equipped with a hydraulic ramp for loading and unloading heavy equipment. The reinforced deck can support fully loaded concrete trucks and general cargo up to 100,000 lbs. The aft pilothouse accommodates two crew and up to six passengers (assumed to be in their vehicles). Main propulsion comes from twin Cummins QSL9 Tier 3 marine engines with ZF Marine CruiseCommand control system and Twin Disc transmissions. Ship’s service power is provided by a Cummins Onan MDK generator.

In early March, Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) hosted the keel authentication ceremony for a new 302' auto and passenger ferry for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co. Steel cutting for the new ferry began in January and delivery is scheduled for 2024. The ferry will operate between Bridgeport, Conn., and Port Jefferson, N.Y. The ferry is based on the P.T. Barnum and Grand Republic auto and passenger ferries that Eastern previously constructed for McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., owners of Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat. ESG has constructed more than a dozen vessels for long-time customer McAllister.

Safe Boats International, Bremerton,

Wash., recently introduced an autonomous hydrographic survey vessel, the Merlin. The 75.4', semidisplacement monohull design was developed in collaboration with Mythos AI, Echo81, and World Marine Design. Safe Boats has exclusive rights to build the design at its Tacoma, Wash., large-craft production facility. Merlin will be a Jones Act-compliant all-aluminum hull powered by a twin Volvo Penta D13 hybrid-ready system with IPS. For a zero-emission power package, the Merlin can accommodate forwardthinking hydrogen technology supplied by Zero Emission Industries (ZEI), Safe Boats said.

Eymard Marine Construction, Harvey, La., delivered the 1,600-hp towboat Isabella Juliette recently to the Lydia Ann Channel Fleet (LAC Fleet), Rockport, Texas. The towboat’s main propulsion is provided by two 800-hp Mitsubishi S6R2 engines supplied by Covington, La.-based Laborde Products Sewart Supply Inc., Morgan City, La., provided the Twin Disc MGX-5321 gears and EC600 electronic controls.

All American Marine (AAM), Bellingham, Wash., has delivered a 73'x26.7' hydrographic survey vessel to Geodynamics (an NV5 company),

Newport, N.C. The survey vessel will service the offshore wind market and perform other scientific survey missions. The 73' R/V Shackleford is a semidisplacement aluminum catamaran hull that was developed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design, Auckland, New