Marine Log - April 2008 - (Page 29)

TUGS&BARGES TUGS: THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, BUT FOR HOW LONG? he tug, towboat and barge industry hasn’t seen anything like it in 25 years. For decades, U.S. shipyards delivered well over 100 tugs and towboats annually, with a peak of 403 vessels in 1981. After 1982, however, when U.S. shipyards delivered 224 vessels for the U.S. flag, tug and towboat construction nose-dived, hitting bottom in 1990 with a mere 30 vessels. In 2007, U.S. shipyards delivered 120 tugs and towboats for the U.S. flag and based on available data, it appears that they should surpass that mark in 2008. At the close of the first quarter of this year, U.S. shipyards had delivered 56 tank barges, 33 tug and towing vessels, one oil recovery barge, seven industrial vessels (such as the Weeks 591, 592), and 198 dry bulk, cargo and deck barges. Maritime Business Strategies’ Tim Colton, who closely tracks the U.S. shipbuilding market, reports on his website, www.shipbuildinghistory.com, that there are currently 97 towboats and pushboats and 68 tugs of various types on order at U.S. shipyards. At least 63 of the towboats and 35 of the tugs are due for delivery this year. The surge in construction can be traced to several factors, including fleet expansion and the replacement of outdated equipment. Bob Beegle, president of Coupeville, Wash.-based vessel broker Marcon International, T Inc., says the world fleet of seagoing tugs of over 100 gross registered tons hit a record number in 2008, surpassing last year’s record high. Marcon cites data from Lloyd’s Register that puts the world fleet at 12,316 “sea-going” tugs over 100 grt, up 4.7% from the 11,760 “sea-going” tugs in January 2007. Total horsepower of this fleet is also up over 1,600,000 hp or 5.8% from 28,116,599 last year to the current 29,746,970 bhp. Marcon says that even taking into account flags of convenience, the largest national fleet of tugs worldwide in both numbers and horsepower sail under U.S. registry. The U.S. operates 1,440 seagoing tugs over 100 grt, or 11.7% of the world market, totaling 4,210,799 hp (14.2% of global hp) with a 37.28 average age. The registry with the youngest tug fleet of five years is France (FIS) with four tugs total 21,778 bhp. BOLLINGER BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO OLD TUGS Then again, maybe the adage that life begins at 40 is true. Crescent Towing certainly thinks so. Part of the Cooper Group, Crescent is in the midst of conversion and modernization of a series of eight 40-plus-year-old harbor tugs. The Bollinger Algiers, L.L.C., one of Bollinger Shipyards’ 13 facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast, has completed the conversion of the Crescent Towing tug Admiral Jackson, from a single engine to a twin-engine docking/assist tug with 4,200 hp. Similar work was performed on the previous four sister vessels to the Admiral Jackson at Bollinger Algiers. While the vessel was built in 1960 by Dravo Corporation, the Admiral Jackson (ex-Glenn Smith) is a virtually new vessel, with a new wheelhouse, stern section The escort tug Vigilant has been ice strengthened for operation in the Cook Inlet in Alaska www.marinelog.com APRIL 2008 MARINE LOG 29 http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - April 2008

Marine Log - April 2008 Contents Editorial Second Thoughts Update Inside Washington Offshore Vessels Evolve to Meet Subsea Demands Picking the Right Floaters for Deepwater Tugs: The Good Times Roll, But for How Long? Interactive TV at Sea Jo-Kell's Suzan Kelly Tugs & Barges Exhibitors Preview Beyond Imagination Tech News Newsmakers Contracts Events Website Directory Infodirect ML Marketplace Last Page

Marine Log - April 2008

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