Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 1971)

$83.8 Million To Avondale

To Build Three LASH Vessels

For Waterman Steamship Corp.

An $83.8-million shipbuilding contract—the second to be awarded under President Nixon's 10-year program to revitalize the American merchant marine—was announced by A.E.

Gibson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for

Maritime Affairs. The contract covers the construction of three Lighter-Aboard-Ship (LASH) vessels for the Waterman Steamship

Corporation by Avondale Shipyards, Inc. of

New Orleans, La. Previously, on May 19,

Avondale was awarded an $85.6-million con- tract to construct three similar LASH vessels for Delta Steamship Lines—the first flight of new ships generated by the President's pro- gram. "These two contracts, aggregating nearly $170 million, will provide 4,000 man-years of work for shipyard employees," Mr. Gibson noted. "Additionally, since some $85 million in materials and equipment from 28 states will go into these ships, these contracts will stimulate additional employment opportuni- ties in other industries," he added.

The Waterman ships, which will be deliv- ered between December 1973 and May 1974, will operate on Trade Route 18 between U.S.

Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports and Red Sea,

Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean ports. The

Government will subsidize the difference be- tween Avondale's price and the cost of build- ing the three ships in a low cost foreign shipyard. Tentatively, this construction-dif- ferential subsidy has been established at 44.2 percent of the $83,787,000 contract price, pend- ing final review of foreign cost data.

Each of the Waterman ships will measure

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A 32,000 shaft horsepower propulsion plant will provide a service speed of 22 knots. The

Maritime Subsidy Board has stipulated that the subsidized manning scale for these vessels will be 32 crewmen, excluding cadets.

Additionally, Waterman was awarded an operating-differential subsidy contract cover- ing eight existing vessels operating on Trade

Route 18. Six of these vessels, which are breakbulk vessels of C-3 design, will be re- placed by the new LASH vessels. Under the terms of the ODS contract the line is required to contract by November 26, 1977 for the con- struction of a new vessel or vessels to replace the other two breakbulk vessels, which are of a C-4 design.

The LASH design, developed by the naval architectural firm of Friede & Goldman of

New Orleans, introduces a new, innovative shipping system which facilitates rapid cargo handling and reduces port turnaround time.

Each LASH ship is equipped with a 500-ton traveling gantry crane for loading and dis- charging the cargo lighters over the stern.

The crane has the capacity to handle as many as four loaded lighters containing nearly 1,600 tons of cargo in an hour, as compared to 75 tons per hour handled by conventional breakbulk cargo ships using winch and boom gear.

The LASH mother ships are ideally suited for service to ports having draft limitations since the lighters can be loaded or unloaded offshore and handled by tugboats. This feature will also enable them to avoid the de'ays encountered by conventional ships entering congested ports.

The Waterman contract brings to 17 the number of LASH vessels ordered from Avon- dale Shipyards. Two of the five ordered by

Prudential-Grace Lines are currently in serv- ice to Mediterranean ports. Six additional units are on order or under construction for

Pacific Far East Line. The 11 Prudential-

Grace Lines and Pacific Far East Line LASH ships are somewhat smaller than those ordered by Delta and Waterman—measuring 820 feet in length as compared to the 893-foot length of the recently contracted vessels.

Participating in the contract signing with

Mr. Gibson were Edward P. Walsh, president of Waterman Steamship Corporation, and

Henry Zac Carter, president of Avondale Ship- yards, Inc.

Osaka, Japan."

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UNDOCKING harbor, sound, coastwise, canal and lake towing 12 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News