On The Ways

C&C Marine delivers second 6,600-hp towboat to Marquette Transportation

Second of three 160' towboats for Marquette.

C&C Marine and Repair, Belle Chasse, La., has delivered the 160'×50' Chris Reeves, the second of three new 6,600-hp, triple-screw Z-drive towboats, to Marquette Transportation Co. The Chris Reeves was completed just three months after the first 6,600-hp towboat, the Cindy L. Erickson, was delivered by C&C Marine to Marquette in February.

Designed by CT Marine, Portland, Maine, the new towboat is powered by three Cummins QSK60-M main engines paired to three Steerprop SP25D azimuthing Z-drive thrusters, a configuration designed to allow for optimal speed, power and maneuverability. In addition, the Z-drives operate at lower engine loads to boost fuel efficiency.

The vessel’s superstructure is supported on a bed of springs for added crew comfort, and a soft-core joiner system was installed in the accommodation spaces for added comfort and fire safety.

delivery in December. C&C Marine anticipates that its new 83,350-sq.-ft. climate-controlled robotic blast and paint facility will be fully operational by July of this year. Once the facility is completed, the company will be able to complete a blast and paint job on a 30,000-bbl. tank barge in five to six days, regardless of the weather, the company said.

— Ken Hocke

Nordlund Boat delivers 63' pilot boat

63' pilot boat for California.

Earlier this year, Nordlund Boat Co., Tacoma, Wash., launched the 63'6"×19'3" pilot boat Orion for Jacobsen Pilot Service, Long Beach, Calif. The boat’s design, with a draft of 3'1", is based on the successful series of pilot boats built previously by Nordlund for the Puget Sound Pilots.

JPS is the only contracted piloting company for the Port of Long Beach. JPS pilots move an average of 7,000 ships per year. The Orion was designed by Tim Nolan Marine Design and built by at Nordlund’s Tacoma yard.

“The Orion was built to last 40-plus years with reduced maintenance costs and high efficiency,” Capt. Tom Jacobsen, president of Jacobsen Pilot Service, said. “Nordlund and Tim Nolan were chosen for their reputation for quality boats that are safe and efficient, and for their proven designs. Our boat operators were involved with every detail of this boat from start to finish. She will deliver pilots to ships safely, in all weather conditions, for many years.”

The new pilot boat is all composite construction with a fiberglass (GRP) hull and carbon fiber house and mast. It is powered by twin Caterpillar C18s connected to HamiltonJet HM 522 waterjets, producing a total of 1,600 hp. The average service speed is 25 knots. Fuel capacity is 1,400 gals. and the Orion carries 100 gals. fresh water. A Northern Lights 12-kw generator provides electrical power.

The waterjets act together with an appendage-free hull to provide increased maneuverability for pilot transfers alongside ships. Orion has the ability to “crab” or transfer sideways while approaching or leaving a ship. It can also crash stop at full power, bringing the boat from full speed to a complete stop in a little more than a boat length. In addition the waterjets, with their internally housed impellers protected by an intake grate, eliminate

the risk of injuring a swimmer or victim during rescue operations. At the same time it protects the running gear from potential damage from debris such as rope and netting.

The command station has three forward-angled windows to reduce glare and keep visibility optimum when rain and wind blown spray are present. Visibility for the helmsman and passengers

is 360°, and all windows are heated to reduce fogging. The helm console is a wraparound style, giving the captain full view of all systems, including navigation, speed, engine room video, equipment temperatures and oil pressures. Grab rails give added security for helm control during stormy conditions. Besides the main helm station, there are full controls on port and starboard bridge wings, plus sliding windows to give the helmsman verbal contact with

the pilot during transfers. There are also port and starboard quarter controls for docking stations, and a man overboard control station, each giving the helmsman ideal position for docking, personnel transfers or man overboard recovery.

Forward seating includes Stidd elevated contoured chairs with retractable dual armrests for the helmsman and crewman. Passenger seating includes eight Eknes high-back reclining chairs with side supports. Large overhead handrails in the ceiling provide additional safety in heavy weather conditions.

The Airex sandwich composite hull was infused in a mold with Hydrex vinyl ester blend resin using knitted E- glass fabrics to meet ABS requirements for high-speed vessels. The fendering strake is cored with Coosa high-density core for increased shear strength. The decks and bulkheads are of composite E-glass and foam sandwich construction. The deckhouse and mast are built of carbon fiber with a foam sandwich to reduce weight and make a strong and stiff structure. The resulting center of gravity is such that the vessel has a positive righting arm for 180° port and starboard.

The Orion is self-righting and capable of recovering from a capsize.

The new pilot boat is built for tough, continuous duty, with wide exterior decks and exterior handrails all around combined with Harken Access track systems. Resilient fendering is by Wing Inflatables.

— Ken Hocke

Metal Marine delivers freight hauler to Alaska

42' landing craft freight hauler for alaska

The Sandy C is finally operating out of Homer, Alaska. Designed by Specmar in Scappoose, Ore., and built by Metal Marine in Homer, the 450-hp, 42'×12' aluminum landing craft style freight hauler was launched in July 2017 but was used very little before being hauled for the winter.

Now she’s back in the water, with a crane from Maxilift Cranes which was installed on the bow’s port side in May. The Sandy C “is completely ready for work,” said its owner Rory Stark.

The vessel will operate in all but the winter months hauling people, freight and vehicles throughout Cook Inlet.

The crane, which extends out about 15' and has a 3,000-lb. capacity, can pick up items off the beach or put them ashore. A capstan winch will pull anchors (one on the bow, one on the stern), pull items across the deck or, through a davit, haul things aboard.

Long-range traveling will allow Stark and his crew or passengers to take advantage of the live aboard design of the accommodations area. There’s a bunk in the wheelhouse and three bunks below, as well as a full galley with a refrigerator and cook stove, plus a head and a shower. Water is heated off the heat exchanger on the port main engine and the cabin heater runs off the starboard main engine, as does a hydraulic pump to power the crane and winch.

The engines are 225-hp Volvo Penta D4s hooked up to Volvo Penta DPH outdrives. Stark said that the power

package enabled the Sandy C to hit 20 knots with “a bunch of people aboard. I think we had about 8,000 pounds.” In light condition, she hit 24 to 25 knots.

Specmar refers to the 42 footer as a “wide door” model. “It’s designed to have the maximum door opening while still maintaining the hull’s structural integrity,” said Specmar’s Mike Pollard. The aluminum bow door also extends much higher above the hull than doors on other Specmar landing craft models.

Stark likes the additional length. It allows him to set “a little farther offshore to drive vehicles on and off.”

— Michael Crowley