On the Ways

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS Eastern launches another trailing suction hopper dredge for Weeks

Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (ESG) launched the 356'×79'6"×27'3" R.B. Weeks in June, the second trailing suction hopper dredge the shipbuilder has built for Weeks Marine Inc.

Designed by Royal IHC, the 8,550-cu.-yd. capacity R.B. Weeks (ESG Hull 258) is being built at ESG’s Allanton, Fla., shipyard. The vessel will undergo out tting and trials at Eastern’s Port St. Joe, Fla., facility with delivery set for 2023.

The R.B. Weeks is nearly identical to the Magdalen, delivered by ESG in 2017. The vessel includes an electrical power, propulsion, and dredge machinery package by Royal IHC, GE Tier 4 engines, along with several accommodation and crew comfort upgrades.

“We are excited to see the launch of our newest trailing suction hopper dredge, the R.B. Weeks, which will join her sister vessel in various dredging activities primarily aiding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to maintain ports, harbors, and other waterways to ensure ship navigation is possible,” Eric Ellefsen, president, Weeks Marine, said. “These two vessels have an equivalent hopper size and pumping capacity, and

Eastern Shipbuilding Group

356' trailing suction hopper dredge for Weeks Marine.

BOATBUILDING BITTS

Americraft Marine, a subsidiary of the Libra Group, has acquired St. Johns Ship Building. The sale price was not announced. Based in Palatka, Fla., near Jacksonville, St. Johns Ship Building builds and repairs a wide variety of steel and aluminum vessels, including ferries, tugs, deck and tank barges, landing crafts, and general cargo vessels. It is also one of the few U.S. shipyards that builds vessels that support and service off shore wind farms, company offi cials said. Libra Group is a privately-owned international business group whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in more than 50 countries. The purchase of St. Johns comes at a time of signifi cant need for Jones Act-compliant vessels, company offi cials said.

In May, MAN Engines put its fi rst two

Libra Group

Americraft Marine has acquired St. Johns Ship Building.

dual fuel hydrogen-powered engines for workboats into serial operation — two 12-cylinder MAN D2862 LE448 diesels, each with an output of 749 kW (1,019 hp) at 2,100 rpm. The engines are Tier III-certifi ed and equipped with a selective catalytic reduction exhaust gas aftertreatment system. The low-emission engines are used on the world’s fi rst hydrogen-powered crew transfer vessel (CTV), the 82'x24' Hydrocat 48 from Windcat Workboats. Both V12 engines have been prepared for dual fuel operation by MAN Engines and supplemented with a hydrogen injection system by development partner CMB.TECH.

Master Boat Builders Inc. (MBB) announced in June that the Hermes, a 98'6"x43'6" advanced Rotortug (ART 90-98US), was delivered to Seabulk. The Rotortug was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built at MBB’s Coden, Ala., shipyard. Hermes is the sistership to Nike, which was delivered to Seabulk in 2021. Main propulsion comes from three Caterpillar 3512E diesel engines, Tier 4 certifi ed, and each producing 2,375 hp, along with two Schottel SRP

we look forward to utilizing the R.B. Weeks, putting her to work deepening shipping lanes, nourishing beaches lost to erosion, and completing coastal restoration due to storm damage.”

Like the Magdalen, the R.B. Weeks is also expected to feature two booster pumps, powered at 1,600 kW each and an HD dredge pump, powered at 1,600 kW. There are two jet pumps, powered at 445 kW each.

Main propulsion comes from twin GE 16V250 diesel engines, producing 5,682 hp each, and two Wärtsilä controllable pitch propeller systems in nozzles. For added maneuverability, there is a Wärtsilä VFD xed pitch bowthruster tunnel unit, producing 730 kW of power. Electrical power comes from two Hyundai 3,400-kW gensets, a GE 6L250, 1,423-kW auxiliary genset and a Caterpillar C18, 425-kW emergency genset.

The R.B. Weeks, which can accommodate 26 people, will be Lloyd’s classed Maltese Cross 100A1 Hopper Dredge, LMC, UMS registered and Coast Guard certi ed and U.S. agged. — Ken Hocke

Incat Crowther

The new boat will have a service speed of 20 knots, a maximum speed of 29 knots, and a range of 400 nautical miles.

Snow building research vessel for DOE laboratory

Seattle-based Snow & Company is constructing a 49.7'×15.9'×7.54' hybrid catamaran aluminum research vessel for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paci c Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

The vessel is designed to demonstrate Incat Crowther and Snow’s expertise in designing and building low emissions vessels that deliver practical solutions for their scienti c mission requirements, the companies said.

The Incat Crowther 15 hybrid catamaran research vessel design features an A-frame, boom crane and movable davit in addition to access to a foldable swim platform, extracting maximum functionality from the space. A set of stairs offer direct access from the main deck to the upper deck and ybridge, which affords all-round visibility.

The new cat will be able to sup-

Master Boat Builders

98'6" Rotortug was built in Alabama.

430FP Z-drive thrusters. The vessel has a bollard pull of 80 tons. In other MBB news, the shipyard said recently it would build a new 4,000-hp ATB tug for PNE Marine Holdings LLC. The new tug is the sistership to Polaris, which was delivered to Polaris New Energy LLC earlier this year. The sistership to Polaris will be coupled with a barge currently under construction at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to form a Jones Act-compliant articulated tug-barge (ATB). The ATB will bunker new LNGpowered cruise ships in Port Canaveral, Fla. The tug is expected to be delivered to PNE Marine in 2023.

The Mobile (Ala.) Bar Pilots (Alabama Pilot Inc.) has awarded a new contract for a second Chesapeake-class highspeed pilot boat to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corp. Delivery of the 53-footer is set for mid-2023. Delivery of its fi rst Chesapeake-class launch for the Mobile Bar Pilots, Dixey, was in 2017. The 53.6'x17.8' all-aluminum pilot boat will have a draft of 4.6'. The Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull will be powered by twin Caterpillar C-18 diesel engines, each delivering 671 hp at 2,100 rpm. The boat will have a top speed of 25 knots. A Humphree interceptor, with automatic trim optimization, will be installed at the transom. Diesel capacity is 800 gals., which should provide a range of at least 380 miles at a speed of 20 knots, Gladding-Hearn offi cials said. The engines will turn 5-bladed nibral propellers via Twin Disc MGX5136A quickshift gears. The launch will be equipped with a 9-kW Northern Lights EPA Tier 3-compliant genset.

Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, R.I., was awarded a contract recently by the Maine Department of Transportation to build a new passenger vessel for the Maine State Ferry Service (MSFS). The 154 passenger/vehicle ferry, designed by Gilbert Associates in collaboration with BAE Systems and using BAE’s electric hybrid propulsion solution, will deliver reduced and zero-emission operations capability for the Rockland-based ferry service. The first hybrid car ferry in Maine will initially provide service from the ferry terminal in Rockland and follows its newly launched sistership on the Rockland-Vinalhaven line, the Capt. Richard G. Spear.

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), Seattle, has partnered with Silverback Marine, Tacoma, Wash., to design a compact tugboat that can be transported by truck over the road. The 25’10 ⅞”x14’6” truckable tug has a draft of 3’4”. The tug can be easily transported to job sites with enough power and maneuverability to perform push assists. With 500 hp, the tug will produce a bollard pull over 12,500 lbs. and has a still water range of 60 nautical miles pushing approximately 10,000 lbs. at 4.1 knots.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. announced in June that it had exercised an option to build a second 346’x69’x23’, 6,500-cu.-yd-capacity trailing suction hopper dredge at Conrad Shipyard in Amelia, La. With expected delivery in the first quarter of 2025, the new vessel will be a sistership to the Galveston Island, presently under construction with delivery in early 2023.

Oak Brook, Ill.-based GLDD’s hopper dredge fleet, including the ATB tug Douglas B. Mackie and 15,000-cu.-

Senesco Marine

NOAA

NOAA research ship will support a wide variety of missions. 154-passenger/vehicle ferry for Maine.

yd.-capacity barge Ellis Island and the Galveston, Liberty, Terrapin, Dodge and Padre Islands, comprise the largest hopper fleet in the U.S. dredging industry, GLDD said.

DEME Marine’s new state of the art vessel Orion will be deployed to U.S. waters in 2024 to install 176 monopile foundations for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind turbine array. The foundation installation is another major contract for the Belgium-based company, already committed to southern New England wind power. Built in 2019, the 858’x160.7’x 36’ Orion, is equipped with a 5,000-ton crane to handle the coming generation of larger wind turbines and foundations.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC (TMC) held a keel-laying ceremony in Houma, La., in June for NOAA’s newest oceanographic research ship, the 244'6"x51.25' Oceanographer. The ship will support a wide variety of missions, ranging from general oceanographic research and exploration to marine life, climate and ocean ecosystem studies. The missions will include shallow coastal, continental shelf and worldwide ocean survey and data collection. Oceanographer, which will have a draft of 15.8’, is one of two ships being built for NOAA by Thoma-Sea. To support NOAA’s goal of reducing the agency’s carbon footprint, Oceanographer and its sistership, Discoverer, will incorporate the latest technologies, including emissions controls and high-efficiency diesel engines that have the potential to save 15,000 gals. per year for each vessel, resulting in an estimated reduction of approximately 5,700 tons of carbon dioxide.

port the research of six scientists in a tailored layout containing multiple research workstations and convertible sleeping arrangements, providing PNNL a capable platform to efficiently carry out their research.

“Incat Crowther is excited to have the opportunity to use our proven experience in battery-hybrid propulsion to develop an optimized design to meet the specific objectives outlined by PNNL and is grateful to be working with the highly qualified team at Snow & Company,” said Grant Pecoraro, managing director, USA at Incat Crowther, Lafayette, La.

The vessel will have a 2.8' draft and will be powered by a parallel hybridelectric propulsion system, consisting of two Volvo Penta D8-510 main engines capable of producing 374 kW (501 hp) at 2,850 rpm each, supplemented by two Danfoss Editron EMPMI375-T200-2600 motor-generators. The mains connect to wheels (manufacturer unspecified) through Twin Disc MGX-5075 SC gearboxes. The new boat will have a service speed of 20 knots, a maximum speed of 29 knots, and a range of 400 nautical miles.

Power will be stored using a 113-kW Spear Trident battery system, allowing the vessel to operate quietly in a zeroemission electric state while engaged in a mixture of survey operational modes.

Tankage will include 600 gals. of fuel and 80 gals. fresh water. The boat will also have accommodations for a two-person crew. — K. Hocke ReconCraft delivers 57th riverine shallow draft vessel to U.S. Customs

ReconCraft

ReconCraft’s profi ts directly benefi t the Native village of Eyak in Cordova, Alaska.

ReconCraft recently delivered the 57th 21'×8'6" riverine shallow draft vessel (RSDV) it has built for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The aluminum boat was the last of a 12-boat order for the boatbuilder’s third-generation RSDV.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contract provides the newest variant of ReconCraft’s RSDV to the critical eet protecting the U.S. southern border.

With a draft of 10" (static, stationary) and -4" (on plane), the RSDVs are powered by Yanmar 8LV 350hp engines. The mains connect to HamiltonJet 241 waterjets through ZF 220 gearboxes. The RSDVs, which are USCG, ISO 12215 and ABYC certi ed, have a range of 150 nautical miles.

The majority of the boats are on the U.S.-Mexico border, although several operate along the U.S.-Canadian border.

“This CBP program is a perfect example of the success realized when industry and government collaborate to design and manufacture exceptional vessels that exactly satisfy operational, maintenance, and program requirements,” said Kurt Boardman, ReconCraft’s production manager. “We love partnering with our clients to provide tremendous value on eet or singlevessel contracts.”

The DHS strategic sourcing initiative also includes a larger multimission variant for the Coast Guard tailored to its shallow water and riverine needs. The boatbuilder has already delivered the 10th vessel to the Coast Guard and anticipates delivering the remaining 35 vessels within the next 12 months.

RSDVs have been in service for more than a decade. These boats are utilized around the world and facilitate missions to counter traf cking of humans and drugs, hurricane and disaster response, search and rescue, and homeland security, law enforcement and defense operations.

ReconCraft further leveraged the DHS program to develop a third variant to meet the unique needs of state and local law enforcement missions. Like its sister designs, the state and local RSDV allows law enforcement to safely patrol and respond to previously inaccessible shallow water within their areas of responsibility.

The RSDV is the result of a collaborative design approach incorporating inputs from operators, eet managers and others.

ReconCraft’s active programs include vessels for the Navy, Coast Guard, CBP, various state and local government organizations. It is part of the Copper River Family of Companies and is a federally recognized, Alaskan tribally owned company.