JOC Staff | Feb 26, 2013 9:26AM EST
Jensen Maritime has completed the designs of two new tugboats and a deck barge for Harley Marine.
The azimuth stern drive tugs, named Robert Franco and Ahbra Franco, will provide tanker escort and ship assist services along the U.S. West Coast once delivered. They are now under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, Wash., and are expected to be delivered in March and July respectively. The Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering company designed the tugs similarly to the classic Valor concept, but upgraded them with Tier 3 Cat 3516C engines and Rolls-Royce US 255 Z-drives.
The 250-by-70-by-15-foot 8-inch barge, Iliuliuk Bay, will transport a variety of cargo between Dutch Harbor and Akutan, Ala., with up to three runs per week. It will house a 230-ton lift capacity Manitowoc 4100 crawler crane, D-rings to secure containers up to three high and eight lashing bars for other cargo. It is under construction by U.S. Fab, in Vigor’s Swan Island shipyard in Portland, Ore., and is scheduled for delivery later this year.
