First Inshore Supply Vessels To Serve Oil And Gas Industry Certified By Coast Guard

The first inshore towing/supply vessels certified by the U.S. Coast Guard to serve the oil and gas industry are now in service for Tidewater Marine Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Tidewater Inc.

The vessels, Beefmaster and Brahma, which represent a contract cost of approximately $1 million, were designed by Tidewater Marine engineers and built by Scully Brothers Boat Builders Inc. of Stephensville, La. Two more Scully-built vessels of the same class are expected to go into service soon, according to William E. Bright, president of Tidewater Marine.

Vessels of this class are 72 feet long by 26 feet wide and have a 6-foot draft when fully loaded.

They also have a 33-foot by 20- foot open foredeck area that provides carrying capacity for 25 long tons of cargo. The vessels are equipped with a 17,000-gallon diesel fuel tank and a 20,000-gallon- capacity water tank for supplying fresh water to drilling rigs and platforms. Power is supplied by twin GM-Detroit Diesel 8V-71 engines that develop a total of 600 horsepower (mcr) at 1,800 rpm and a speed of 10 knots.

Wayne Pourciau, manager of Tidewater Marine's inland tug fleet, said the towing/supply vessel concept permits the delivery of limited amounts of deck and liquid cargoes to the drilling rig, which previously required the use of a barge.

Tidewater Marine added 26 new vessels to its worldwide fleet during the last calendar year at a cost of $37.1 million, and is expected to add 20 new vessels this fiscal year, at a contract cost of $26.3 million, as part of its longrange capital spending program.

Tidewater's approximately 400- vessel fleet is the largest fleet serving the international offshore oil and gas industry. In addition to its marine division, Tidewater also is active in oil and gas exploration and production and in the air and natural gas compression business.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 10, Sep 1980

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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.