Page 29: of Marine News Magazine (December 2020)

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TOP BOATS 2020 his year saw a number of new and noteworthy tow- Corporate Operations, adding that the need to add high- boats enter service on America’s inland waterways. horsepower tonnage was a driver behind ordering the new-

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Among those in the leading class of newbuilds is build. “There are a limited number of higher-horsepower

Hines Furlong Line’s 6,600-horsepower triple-screw tow- inland towboats of a young enough age that are available boat Scarlett Rose Furlong, delivered in November from for acquisition, so in this case we believe that there was a

C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La. strong business case to build new for the future.”

Designed by CT Marine based in Portland, Maine, The inland towboat H. Merritt “Heavy” Lane, Jr. will

Scarlett Rose Furlong measures 170 by 50 feet, with the work the Lower Mississippi River system primarily, and pilot house eyeline measuring at 39 feet, 3 inches. has the ? exibility and versatility to move liquid and dry

The vessel includes three Cummins QSK60-M main en- cargos according to business need, Zornes said.

gines, provided by Cummins Mid-South, that are paired According to the shipbuilder, the vessel design is based on a with three Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V reduction gears, provid- proven concept that has been enhanced to modern standards ed by Karl Senner, LLC. The service power is provided by through advanced engineering analysis targeting improved three Cummins QSM11-DM, 275 kW generators, and the ef? ciency, crew accommodations and noise reduction.

conventional steering system HPU was provided by EMI Designed by naval architects MiNO Marine, the Heavy

Marine. The towboat is out? tted with three 100-inch diam- Lane has a unique hull form to ensure adequate water ? ow eter stainless-steel ? xed pitch propellers, provided by Sound to the propellers in all operating conditions. The design

Propeller Systems, Inc, and features double steering rudders. allows the transfer of full power through the propellers, “We wanted the durability of a conventional vessel with both minimizing propeller vibrations transferred to the hull due stellar northbound and southbound performance,” Hines Fur- to unsteady water ? ow. The design also reduces the po- long line president Kent Furlong told Marine News. “At the tential for ? ow-induced vibration, ensuring greater crew same time, we fully acknowledge the superior maneuverability comfort and reduced noise.

that Z-drives offer. With all of this in mind, we are convinced For even greater crew comfort, the superstructure is divid- that this conventional, kort nozzled setup with the double ed into two sections, one ? oating and one ? xed, and all living steering rudder arrangement gets us the best of both worlds.” accommodations are located in the ? oating section which sits

The ? rst in a series of thee sister vessels on order at C&C atop air bellow vibration isolators designed to minimize noise marine, Scarlett Rose Furlong has accommodations total- and vibration transmission from the operating machinery. ing 12 beds (11 crew, plus one guest), and the vessel’s de- Floating ? oors in the joiner work reduce vibration as well.

sign includes a ? oating, spring mounted superstructure for In May, Metal Shark announced its Bayou La Batre, Ala. additional crew comfort. shipyard has delivered its ? rst newbuild, a 120 by 35 foot “These vessels, along with the others we are building, river towboat for Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. (FMT) represent a signi? cant capital investment. Moreover, adding of Mandeville, La. The four-decked, welded-steel towboat brand new, large vessels like this to our ? eet make a statement Stephanie Pasentine, which bears the distinction of be- to our existing and future mariners,” Furlong said. “Building ing Louisiana-based Metal Shark’s ? rst-ever steel newbuild the boat is just the start of the process. These vessels rep- and also its ? rst inland towboat, was designed by John W. resent our continued investment in our steersman program Gilbert Associates, Inc.

and our ability to promote from within the organization and The vessel’s twin Cat 3512C marine diesel engines deliv- recruit from the outside. Without a professional crew and er 2,011 horsepower each at 1,600 revolutions per minute the right shoreside team towboats are just a hunk of steel.” and turn 100 by 69 inch stainless steel propellers through

Another noteworthy vessel packing similar power num- Twin Disc model MGX5600DR reverse reduction gears bers is Canal Barge’s 6,000-horsepower H. Merritt “Heavy” with a 6.56:1 ratio. Sleeping accommodations and facili-

Lane, Jr., handed over from Conrad Shipyard’s Amelia, La. ties have been provided for a nine-person crew.

facility in April. The new towboat, which measures 166 The new towboat is the ? rst delivery in a three-vessel feet by 49 by 12 and is powered by EPA Tier IV-compliant contract with FMT announced in late 2018, signaling

Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) engines, is the ? agship of Metal Shark’s entry into the inland commercial sector fol-

Canal Barge Company’s growing towboat ? eet, according lowing its acquisition of the assets of Horizon Shipbuild- to company president and CEO, H. Merritt Lane, III. ing earlier that year. With the purchase, Metal Shark, best “We believe that the Heavy is the ? rst high-horsepower known as a builder of welded aluminum vessels, assumed boat on the U.S. Inland Waterways to utilize an EPA Tier ownership of a fully developed 35-acre Alabama shipyard

IV engine package,” said Ron Zornes, CBC’s Director of and began to expand into steel shipbuilding.

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