Page 39: of Marine News Magazine (April 2020)

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SHIPBUILDING REPORT

M rules. In addition, Authement said major oil companies are the works and more expected on the horizon. Its current setting age limits for the towboats and barges that carry their order book includes an 11.3-meter Naiad RHIB tour boat products, meaning new tonnage is required to replace older Bay Voyager II for Bay Voyager in San Francisco; a 46-foot assets that age out. “Shipyards should continue to stay busy whale watching catamaran for Alaska Tales in Juneau, Alas- with meeting the vessel demand since a lot of older towboats ka; a 46-foot luxury catamaran water taxi Liberty National are still operating out three and it is only a matter of time I for Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J.; a 45- before they must be replaced.” foot ferry catamaran for Hat Island, Wash.; and a 45-foot “A lot of larger HP Tier 3 towboats were contracted in the transfer/pilot catamaran for National Park Service – Glacier past year and a half and are in different stages of construction Bay National Park & Preserve.

and delivery. Now that Tier 4 is required for any towboat over “The marine sector in North America is busy right now, 1,600-horsepower, owners are deciding to replace their older and Armstrong Marine USA has been growing steadily over vessels since it will be more bene?cial to them than trying to the last three years,” said Cordelia Aud, Sales and Market- repair their older vessels to meet Sub M compliance,” he said. ing. “Tour companies and ferry operators are turning to us

Authement added, “The international trade deal being ap- for innovative solutions and we are growing in this market proved should help our farmers with more required produc- every year. We are also experiencing a growing demand for tion and will only strengthen the inland marine market. The our catamaran expertise in industries like hydrographic fact that a lot of funding has been approved with projects un- survey and landing craft operations. We have also taken derway for the inland infrastructure system with only improve on more aluminum RIB projects in the last two years with matters. We must now weather the virus storm so that we can our partner Naiad Design. Our RIBs have been delivered to return to a healthy economy.” both coasts in the U.S., and we recently delivered our ?rst

On the West Coast, build activity has paused at All Ameri- RIB for export as well.” can Marine in Bellingham, Wash. Ron Wille, Business De- velopment Manager at AAM said the shipyard is construct- ing twin 78-foot passenger tour vessels for a private client in the Paci?c Northwest, due to be launched in Spring and

Summer 2020 respectively, as well as two wildlife tour vessels for Major Marine Tours in Seward Alaska. Once delivered in the Spring and Summer of 2021 respectively, the 83- by 32-foot vessels will carry passengers on glacier and wildlife tours to Kenai Fjords National Park and the Alaska National

Maritime Wildlife refuge.

In addition, AAM recently won a contract from SWITCH

Maritime to complete the aluminum construction and out?t- ting of a 70-foot zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered, electric drive ferry that will operate in the California Bay Area. Prior to transfer to AAM, the project had begun at Bay Ship &

Yacht shipyard in Alameda, Calif. (still operational amid CO-

VID-19) where the aluminum hull and superstructure had been started. Bronson Lamb, AAM Marketing Manager, told

Marine News that a portion of the hull and super structure of the vessel has been completed, and AAM will complete all remaining aluminum fabrication and welding and then com- mence with out?tting all interior and propulsion aspects of the vessel, including but not limited to: the hydrogen fuel cell system, paint, electrical, control systems and seating. AAM is currently on pace to deliver the vessel in late-2020, but the timeline could potentially be impacted by current events sur- rounding the coronavirus outbreak, Lamb said.

Armstrong Marine in Port Angeles, Wash. has also had to temporarily suspend operations, with several projects in 39 www.marinelink.com MN