Page 40: of Marine News Magazine (March 2016)

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PUSHBOATS & INLAND TRANSPORT

Granite Point launch – September 18, 2015 who’ve worked for Tidewater. His father and uncles all worked for the company at different times, going back as far as the 1950s. Many others started working out as deckhands and rose through the ranks to captain, including three gener- ations of the Allen family. “They choose to be on the river be- cause it’s in their blood,” says CEO & President Bob Curcio. “We’re culturally a Paci? c Northwest company. We care a lot about the employees, and it’s resulted in generations working for the company and guys really enjoying what they do.”

On the Water

With crew in mind, their endurance on board the compa- ny’s vessels has played a big role in the design of three of the latest next-generation towboats, the ? rst new workhorses on the CSR system in over 20 years. Granite Point, Tidewater’s newest asset, designed by Maine-based CT Marine, started service in January. Built by Portland’s Vigor Industrial, she follows Crown Point, which began operating on the CSR in the summer of 2015. The vessel is con? gured in a similar fashion to another sister vessel, Ryan Point, expected to be delivered in the spring of this year. Powered by Caterpillar 3516C Tier 3 engines, Granite Point is a double-hulled ves- sel that is 102 by 38 feet, with a depth at full load of 11 feet.

She is equipped with a hexagonal wheelhouse with ? oor-to- ceiling windows on all six sides. The hexagonal design con- tinues to the main deck, which consists of a galley, a media room, and a health and ? tness facility.

“We did a noise and vibration control engineering study before we built the vessels,” explains Marc Schwartz, Mainte- nance & Engineering Manager. “A lot of effort has been put into vibration and noise control, and I think we’ve been very successful with that for this local operating environment.” “Marc got together with Brian and with captains and as- sistant port captains and people who have operated on the river for a long time, and they built a tug that was cus-

Tidewater’s Boardman, OR Terminal

Three images courtesy: Tidewater Transportation & Terminals

March 2016

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