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ATB said last month. Moran?s  rst ATBs were acquisitions and conversions, and they were followed by new builds. Those units operate along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts. ?We?re shipping more unconven- tional oil now than we did in the past,? Tregurtha said. Unconvention- al oil includes products from shale, sands, coal and biomass; synthetic crudes; and gas to liquid from gas pro- cessing. ?Our dry bulk ATB carries grain for a commercial customer from New Orleans to Puerto Rico,? he said. The Mary Ann Moran tug pushes the 531-foot barge Virginia to San Juan for Conagra. The company acquired New York- based Turecamo Maritime and its af liates in 1998. Moran?s  rst ATB tug, the Scott Turecamo, was a con- version. The vessel, built in 1998, was retro tted in 2005. Moran converted the ATB Barney Turecamo in 2005 with an INTERCON connection. For the ATB Paul T. Moran, Moran acquired the tug and barge from two different owners. In 2005, the barge was modi ed to receive a Bludworth coupler system.Pati R. Moran, launched in 2008, was the  rst of four new-build ATBs in the Moran  eet, with all tugs designed by OT&BE and built by Washburn & Doughty shipyard in Boothbay, Maine. The Pati R. Moran is paired with the 425-foot, 118,000-barrel barge Charleston, built in 2007 by Manitowoc Marine in Wisconsin. The Linda Moran was delivered in August 2008, slightly more than a month after a major  re at the Wash- burn & Doughty shipyard. She is married to the 425-foot, 118,000-bar-rel double-hulled barge Houston, also built by Manitowoc Marine in 2007. The Lois Ann L. Moran, delivered in September 2009, is coupled with the Philadelphia, built in 2008 by Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla. ATB tug Mary Ann Moran was de- livered in late 2010. The 121-foot ves- sel has 5,300 hp worth of EMD power and an INTERCON coupler system. The tug was matched with Moran?s dry-bulk barge Virginia after it was converted with an upgraded notch to accept the INTERCON coupler. The Virginia was built in 1982 by Galveston Shipbuilding in Texas and was converted at Gulf Marine Repair in Tampa for service as an articulated barge. Except for its Bludworth model, Moran?s ATB barges are equipped with INTERCON?s C-series cou- plers. Moran?s barges are mostly inter- changeable with their tugs. Tregurtha also addressed ATB crew sizes and costs. ?Petroleum ATBs operating in the United States typically have a crew of 8 and 11 people,? he said. ?That?s more than an old-style towed oil barge might have.? ATBs can be economical for short distances while tankships are more cost effective for moving large parcels longer distances, he said. ?Based on customer needs, it?s highly likely we?ll build more ATBs,? Tregurtha said. This spring, Moran contracted with Wisconsin-based Bay Shipbuilding Co., a division of Fin- cantieri Marine Group, to build three oil/chemical barges and two tugs to be operated together as ATBs. Two of the barges will carry 150,000 barrels, and the third will hold 110,000 barrels. The two tugs--one 6,000 hp and one 5,300 hp--will be delivered separately over the next 24 months. Construc- tion has begun on the  rst units. July 201432 MNMN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 32MN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 326/20/2014 3:45:41 PM6/20/2014 3:45:41 PM