Union Mechling's Application For Aid To Build 58 Barges Approved In Principle By MarAd

The Maritime Administration's Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert R. Casey has approved in principle the application by Union Mechling Corporation for a Title XI guarantee to aid in financing the construction of 50 covered hopper barges and eight tank barges. The vessels are designed for transportation on inland rivers and canals.

Twenty of the vessels are semi-integrated, covered hopper barges measuring 195 feet in length, 35 feet abeam, and 12 feet in depth. They are rated at 927 gross tons.

Thirty are box-covered hopper barges measuring 200 feet by 35 feet by 12 feet, and rated at 945 gross tons. All 50 hopper barges were scheduled for delivery between February 18 and April 29, 1977.

The eight tank barges measure 195 feet by 35 feet by 12 feet, and are rated at 733 gross tons. Five have heating coils and three do not. The tank barges were scheduled to be delivered between September 30, 1977, and January 31, 1978.

All the barges are being built at Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. Union Mechling Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dravo, and is the successor company of the 1973 consolidation of Union Barge Line Corporation and A.L. Mechling Barge Lines, Inc.

The estimated actual cost of the barges, less depreciation for those that have been delivered, is approximately $12.8 million.

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Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.