By MarEx 2017-05-01 08:57:41 Vane Brothers, a premier marine transportation provider headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, recently added two newly constructed vessels to the company’s growing fleet: the 4,200-‐horsepower tugboat Philadelphia and the purpose-‐built asphalt barge Double Skin 510A. Primarily tasked with towing petroleu...
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The barges at Gunderson are near sister vessels to the Fight A.L.S. (pictured with the tug Barry Silverton). The new barges have ship shape bows, while the Fight A.L.S. has a spoon bow. Harley Marine Services photo. By Ken Hocke on April 20, 2017 Harley Marine Services has unveiled the names of two articulated tug-barge (ATB) units that are c...
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New 94'x34'x15' tug is the 13th Sassafras class tug to enter Vane Brothers' fleet. Vane Brothers photo. By Ken Hocke on March 3, 2017 Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md., has delivered the 13th 94’x34’x15′ Sassafras-class tug to Baltimore-based Vane Brothers Co. Designed by Entech Designs LLC, Kenner, La., and tasked with towing ...
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The mv. Shawn Williams was built by Eymard Marine Construction & Repair. (Photo by Frank McCormack) February 20, 2017 By Frank McCormack On the afternoon of January 27—a cold and wintry day by New Orleans’ standards—friends, family, team members and customers of Wood Resources LLC gathered at the company’s sand pit on the west bank o...
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Mv. Colton James was built by Intracoastal Iron Works. December 26, 2016 By H. Nelson Spencer E-Squared Marine Service LLC, the Friendswood, Texas, towboat and barge company run by Travis Elam and Tommy Echols, recently put a new towboat into service, the mv. Colton James. It is the first newly built vessel for the young company. T...
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M/V HUDSON has been delivered this month. She is on her way to Louisiana. M/V HUDSON is a sister ship to M/V ELIZABETH ANNE designed by Entech Designs and built by St. John's Shipbuilding in Palatka, FL....
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By Ashley Herriman1/28/2016 The Vane Brothers Company, Baltimore, has taken delivery of the the 100’x34’x15’ Elizabeth Anne, the first in a new series of 4,200-hp tugboats. Vane Brothers has ordered a total of eight Elizabeth Anne-class towing vessels through St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla., with the second in the series, the...
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First of eight 100' tug designed by Entech Designs, LLC and Frank Basile, built at St. John's Shipbuilding has been delivered to Vane Brothers. According to Capt. Demske the shipyard did a very nice job. The Dock Trial and Sea Trial were performed in mid December and she is off to the beginning of her journey. ...
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Baltimore-based Vane Brothers took delivery in November of the Fort Schulyer from Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md. The delivery took place almost seven years to the day after the tug Sassafras, the first of the Sassafras-class tugs, was commissioned in 2008. By Kathy Bergren Smith1/1/2016 The 94' tug was designed by Entech De...
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Happy Holidays to all of our clients and thank you for your business all through 2015. We hope for a prosperous year for everyone and looking forward to continue our services to you. Entech's office will be closed between December 21st, 2015 till January 4th, 2016. Please call and leave a message for us or Email us and will be get back to you as...
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In August Marquette Transportation took delivery of its latest towboat from Master Marine in Bayou La Batre, AL. The 78'×34'×11' St. Peter is now part of Marquette’s Gulf-Inland division, based in Harahan, LA. By Michael Crowley 10/1/2015 Several things set this towboat apart from others in Marquette’s fleet. The St. Peter is...
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The following is the text of a news release from Master Marine Inc.: (BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala.) — In August, Marquette Transportation Co. took delivery of a new 2,000-hp z-drive towboat from Master Marine Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78-by-34-by-11 St. Peter was designed by Frank Basile of Entech & Associates of Houma, La., for Marquette...
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Even the Energizer bunny would tire trying to keep up with a decade of fleet expansion by Vane Bros. In the wake of building 24 tugs and a slew of barges, the Baltimore-based energy transportation company is building four more 100-footers and four more 94-foot tugs with options for two more in each class. The spree began in 2004 when Patapsco, t...
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Emery Zidell sister vessel Jake Shearer, a Frank Basile design, is due to be delivered in July. It is the second ATB for Harley Marine and will be followed by Barry Silverton in October. Harley Marine Services has put into service its first ATB. The 116-foot tug Emery Zidell and its 80,000-barrel oil barge, Dr. Robert J. Beall, went into ...
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December 2014 Boatbuilding Review By WorkBoat12/1/2014 OCTOBER 2013 ICE-CLASS RESEARCH VESSEL Marinette Marine Corp. Sikuliaq Marinette Marine Corp. (MMC) is nearing completion of the $200 million Sikuliaq, an ice-capable research vessel for Alaska. The vessel was launched in October 2012. The 261'×...
Read More By David Krapf9/1/2014 In late June, Marquette Transportation Co. took delivery of a new 2,000-hp Z-drive towboat from Master Marine Inc., Bayou La Batre, Ala. The 78'×34'×11' Kieffer E. Bailey was designed by Frank Basile at Entech & Associates, Houma, La., for Marquette’s Gulf-Inland division, based in Harahan, La...
Read MoreHarvey Gulf orders hybrid MPFSV at Eastern Shipbuilding Harvey Gulf International Marine Inc., of New Orleans, has awarded Eastern Shipbuilding Group a contract to construct a hybrid Multi-Purpose Field Support Vessel (MPFSV) of Robert Allan RAmpage 6400 design. The vessel — Eastern Hull No. 234 — is set to be delivered from Easte...
Read MoreMaster Marine, Inc. delivered its first 2,000 hp Z Drive inland river towboat last month. The towboat represents the first vessel (Entech Design) of this series by the yard. Master Marine said it has not been as active in the past years building towboats as the other yards in the area. However, in the last two years, Master Marine has made some ...
Read MoreNichols Bros. gets an order for a sixth Baydelta z-drive Bay-Houston Towing’s Chloe K (red house) and Suderman & Young’s Zeus are sister 80-foot ASD tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. With 60-ton bollard pull, they will work as docking and escort tugs in Houston and Galveston. Brian Gauvin Baydelta Maritime LLC, of San ...
Read MoreLeBeouf Bros. Towing of Bourg, La., named one of its two new 95-foot towboats Karl Senner for the founder of the marine equipment supply company, Karl Senner Inc. The second boat, Dickie Gonsoulin, is named for LeBeouf President Jon Gonsoulin's father, who acquired full ownership of LeBeouf Bros. in 2005. LeBeouf Bros. Towing's 95-foot tow...
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By Ken Hocke10/1/2013 Bourg Dry Dock, Houma, La., recently delivered two 95'×34'×10'6" inland towboats and a barge to its parent company, Lebeouf Bros. Towing, also of Houma. The Karl Senner and the Dickie Gonsoulin are built of ABS grade-A steel and were designed by Houma-based Entech & Associates. Both towboats have a maximu...
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By Ken Hocke 9/19/2013 Bourg Dry Dock, Houma, La., recently delivered two 95'x34'x10'6" inland towboats and a barge to its parent company, LeBeouf Bros. Towing, also of Houma. The Karl Senner and the Dickie Gonsoulin are built of ABS grade-A steel and were designed by Houma-based Entech & Associates. Both towboats have a maximu...
Read MoreTowboat operators keep adding to their fleets The last year saw no slowdown in the construction of new towboats along the inland waterways and Gulf Coast. Several towing companies expanded their fleets with delivery of multiple orders from a number of shipyards from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio River. With the 6,000-hp Big D, Florida Marine...
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The U.S. economy may be sluggish, but the towing industry is showing signs of real vitality. Towing vessel operators who had all but ceased ordering new vessels following the “Great Recession†that began in 2009, are once again moving to renew and expand their fleets. Now the market is returning to more normal and perhaps more sus...
Read MoreTug serving Southeast Alaska off to a good start and promising future Olympic Tug & Barge’s new 94-foot conventional twin-screw tugboat Kestrel went into service in Southeast Alaska in the late fall of 2012. Designed by the Louisiana firm of Entech & Associates, the boat’s mission is to deliver fuel to the settlements and c...
Read MoreBy Kathy Bergren Smith, Correspondent5/30/2013 At first glance, Dann Marine Towing’s new vessel, the Discovery Coast, looks like a towering pushboat with six decks rising up over beefy push knees. But a closer look at the bow and hull shows that it was also designed to handle the ocean. With this combination, the new design is a daring ...
Read MoreIn late November 2012 the crew of Kestrel was preparing their brand new tug for its maiden voyage to Alaska. Olympic Tug & Barge, a division of Harley Marine Services, had taken delivery of the 94-foot, 3,000-hp ocean-towing tug on Oct. 5. Olympic had sent a four-man delivery crew to Halimar Shipyard in Morgan City, La., where they had gone ...
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They can be seen in barge fleeting operations along the riverbanks for pushing one or two 30,000-barrel oil barges. In recent years, the standard power package has been a pair of Cummins’ popular KV38-M engines. These V-12-clylinder 2300-cubic-inch displacement engines have evolved over the years to take advantage of new technologies and, mo...
Read MoreMark Moran is an 86-foot ASD tug built by Washburn & Doughty. The 5,100-hp tug will be operated in the Port of Baltimore by Moran Towing. Washburn & Doughty Associates, of East Boothbay, Maine, has delivered twin z-drive docking tugs to Moran Towing Corp. John Snyder The first, James A. Moran, launched in October 2011, marked a...
Read MoreSeveral inland shipyards saw no shortage of towboat orders in 2011 and some made several multi-boat deliveries to new and repeat customers. Among the 2011 deliveries were a mix of long-range line boats and local service boats. The 6,140-hp Paul Tobin was one of the largest towboats delivered in the past year. Gulf Island ...
Read MoreOver the past eight years, 21 new Vane Brothers tugs have been delivered from Thoma-Sea Boat Builders, of Houma, La., and Chesapeake Shipbuilding, of Salisbury, Md. Charles Burton is one of six 94-foot, 3,000-hp Sassafras-class vessels built at the Chesapeake yard. It is a smaller version of the 15 100-foot, 4,200-hp Patapsco-class tugs built at...
Read MorePenn Maritime, of Stamford, Conn., has completed a five-vessel construction program with recent delivery of the 4,000-hp ATB offshore tug Mako, the 15th ATB to join the Penn fleet. Mako is a 116-foot, 4,000-hp tug with a single, raised pilothouse, Cummins engine power and a JAK coupler system. Upon delivery in late 2010, she was matched with...
Read MorePerhaps the most unusual boat this year, or in many years for that matter, is Chesapeake Coast, a Dann Marine Towing (DMT) tugboat nearing completion at Main Iron Works in Houma, La. The design is a model bow, 100-foot-long conventional tugboat, but with two massive push knees that rise 25 feet above the water, obscuring the deep-V bow. "There h...
Read MoreLeBeouf Bros. Towing sits on the bank of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, in Bourg, to the east of Houma, La. In recent years the company has developed an in-house barge-building program to supply its modern tank barge fleet at its Bourg Dry Dock facility. LeBeouf is also building two pushboats at the shipyard, which sits adjacent to its offices and...
Read MoreThe very last boat is in the slipway, ready for delivery. It's the end of a long building program for Vane Brothers of Baltimore, Md., involving at least 20 new tugs and a passel of barges from several different shipyards. Â Jim Demske, left, is supervising completion of the last tugs in Vane Bros. building program.(Photo by ...
Read MoreShe is a small but noteworthy tug playing a big role for a company with a name long connected with New York Harbor. The 70-foot, 1,500-hp twin-screw tug Crystal Cutler has been pushing and occasionally towing a 15,000-barrel clean oil barge since the tug was introduced in 2010. The tug places a high demand on her captains and crews as she venture...
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Frank Basile could not specifically identify the reasons why the tugboat fraternity in North America can spot his tugboats in a heartbeat. "People recognize my tugboat designs on the Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific Coasts,"Â said Basile, owner of Entech & Associates, a naval architectural firm he established in 1970, in Houma, La. So Basile aske...
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Gregory M. Walsh Crosby Tugs, a steadily expanding Louisiana towing company, has added a 10,500-hp offshore towing vessel to its roster, a move that brings the entire fleet up to 90 vessels, about half of which are inland towboats, plus a small collection of barges. (Brian Gauvin photos) New in recent months is the 110-fo...
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St. Johns Ship Building, Inc was awarded contract to construct a 190-ft Landing Craft for G & G Shipping out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This will be the fifth vessel of its fleet which joins others built by St. Johns. The vessel designed by Frank Basile of Entech and Associates, Inc. Houma, La. The Landing Craft will be equipped with t...
Read MorePenn Maritime, never at a loss for new tugs and barges, took delivery of the 116-foot ATB tug, Coho, in December. She is the second in a series of five identical tugs, each to be matched to a dedicated 414-foot barge utilizing the JAK-400 coupling system. Capt. Mike O'Brien spent a good bit of time in Houma, La., and New Orleans in December and ...
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If there is a credit crisis in Baltimore, it sure must have passed by the door of Vane Brothers on Frankfurst Ave. This century-old company has just completed a 15-boat new-building contract with Thoma-Sea Boat Builders of Louisiana, but it is only partway through an additional six-boat building contract with Chesapeake Shipb...
Read More Vane Brothers is fortunate that the Chesapeake Bay has a lot of tributaries. That’s because the Baltimore-based petroleum transport company began naming its tugs after them when it launched the Patapsco , named after the Patapsco River, in 2004. Fourteen By Kathy Bergren-Smith12/1/2008 Vane Brothers is fortunate that t...
Read MoreDelivery of Penn Maritime’s new 4,000-hp ATB tug, Skipjack, was delayed by several factors, but the impressive new tug was due to leave the Thoma-Sea Boatbuilders yard in May or June to be matched up soon after with a newly constructed 90,000-barrel petroleum barge. Skipjack is the first of five identical vessels to be built along with fi...
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By Bruce Buls9/1/2008 Old." That's how naval architect Frank Basile of Entech & Associates , Houma, La., characterizes the U.S. oceangoing tug fleet. As of January, the U.S. had 1,440 "seagoing tugs" over 100 GRT with an average age of almost 38 years, according to Lloyd's Register . The stats don't include the age of the engines, ...
Read MoreVane Bros. has been keeping the shipyards busy with construction of new oil barges, wire towing vessels and ocean-going tugs with articulated connection systems. (Jim Demske, Brian Gauvin) Vane Bros. of Baltimore is a traditional towed-barge type of company, but already there are towing industry veterans at Vane Bros. who say t...
Read MoreStarting a tugboat company is hard enough at any location. Now imagine trying to launch a tug and barge business with one tug and two barges in a territory covering 1,000 miles of remote river route that is frozen over and impassable more than half the year, and where your principal competitor is one of the largest tug and barge operators in North ...
Read MoreIt's been over a century since William Burke Vane and his brothers opened a ship chandlery to cater to ship operators and crews in Baltimore Harbor. Since then, Vane Brothers Co. has grown to provide a wide range of supplies and services in the Port of Baltimore. One of the company's biggest moves came when it entered the Baltimore ship-bunk...
Read MoreBasile was a naval officer during World War II and attended submarine training school in New London, Conn. He graduated from Tulane University in 1947 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. His practical experience began immediately at Avondale Shipyard just outside New Orleans as an engineer in the repair division. At Avondal...
Read More Vane Lines Bunkering , a subsidiary of Vane Brothers, took delivery of its first ATB in January. The 6,000-hp tug Brandywine (twin EMD 710s), matched with the Double Skin 141 , is the first of two 145,000-bbl. ATB units for By WorkBoat2/1/2007 Vane Lines Bunkering , a subsidiary of Vane Brothers, took delivery of its first ATB i...
Read MoreFor Eastern Shipbuilding Group, the 25 pushboats it’s building for Florida Marine Transporters is the largest single boatbuilding order ever for the Panama City, Fla., yard And, said Jason Belcher, chief financial officer at Mandeville, La.-based Florida Marine, it’s probably “the largest contiguous build of a homogene...
Read MoreAries Marine, a Lafayette, La. based offshore vessel company has taken delivery of its fourth 220-ft. class supply boat designed for deep water platform work. The company has 10 supply boats and 14 lift boats in its fleet. At 54 ft. wide, the new Abigail Claire is 10 ft. wider than any of its predecessors and is the first in the Aries Marine fleet ...
Read MoreThe advent of a new marine diesel engine design is rare enough, but when a new engine is mated to a new Z-drive model from a new manufacturer and put into a new tug design, the result is worth noticing.By Max Hardberger, Correspondent2/1/2004 The advent of a new marine diesel engine design is rare enough, but when a new engine is mated to a ...
Read MoreThe Lafayette, La.-based Rene’ J. Cheramie & Sons, has a 116’ x 34’ x 17’ ocean tugboat under construction at Main Iron Works of Houma, La. The new towing vessel, powered by twin 3516B HD Caterpillar diesels will be named ANN T. CHERAMIE. The vessel underwent plating in December and is expected to be delivered in Jul...
Read MoreAndy Martin of AMT Marine will take delivery this May of a 136 x 34 x 12-ft. mini-supply boat from Hope Services of Dulac, La. The new boat, designed by Frank Basil's Entech and Associates of Houma, will be powered by a pair of Cummins V-12 KTA38 M0 main engines rated for 850 hp each at 1,800 rpm and driving through Twin Disc MG5301 gears with a ra...
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