Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1999)

Market Reports • Inland bkW) @ 2,100 rpm, from the local Cat dealer Louisiana Machinery Power Sys- tems.

The repower was completed in May 1998. After passing all the necessary performance tests, Mr. Mel was back to work in the Gulf the following month. "The Cat engines have been perform- ing very well, and they work well in tan- dem with the jets," Swiber states. "Most importantly, there's a sense of security that they will help us serve our cus- tomers' needs. The engines are still pretty new, but if they have a track record like the ones in Lisa Ann and Mr.

D, I expect they'll perform reliably."

Durability, comparable horsepower ratings and competitive pricing were the top reasons Diamond Services selected

Cat engines for the repower, Swiber says. He adds that the availability of parts and service from Caterpillar was also an important factor for a boat that operates continuously. "There's even a Cat dealer located in

Del Cormen, Mexico, which is in the region where Mr. Mel operates," adds

Swiber. More shipbuilding activity is on the horizon for Diamond Services.

The company built the world's largest jet-drive crewboat at Swiftships Inc.

Kristin Grace measures 185 ft. (55.5 m) long and 30 ft. (9 m) wide, and is capa- ble of carrying cargo up to 330 long tons on deck, nearly twice the amount of Mr.

Mel. She will be designed to transport 64 passengers and five crewmen. The quad-screw vessel will be powered by

Cat 3508 Series B electronically con- trolled engines, each rated 1,300 bhp (975 bkW) @ 1,835 rpm, driving Hamil- ton water jets.

Circle 6 on Reader Service Card • Easy Installation and Operation • Low Maintenance • Stock Availability • New Central Control Panel

OWENS

Don't Worry. They use an Owens Kleen Tank, \ The Educated Choice in MSDs.

Owens Mfg. & Specialty Co., Inc

P.O. Box 1167 • Youngsville, LA 70592 • email: [email protected] 1-800-639-2744 (318) 856-6652 • Fax:(318)856-6332 www.owenskleentank.com

Dealer Inquiries Welcome

Saab TankRadar is partnership •^ef&si?'*.

G3

That 's the Difference www.saab.tankradar.com

ST \ VS '

Crowley Marine Services

Receives Papu Sur

Crowley Marine Services Paraguay has accepted delivery of the Papu Sur, the second of two new Papu-Class river push boats to be deployed in its Merco- sur barge feeder service. With a fleet that includes two additional ocean tugs, Papu

Viento and Papu Mar, the Papu Sur will broaden the feeder service's daily sail- ings between Montevideo, Buenos

Aires, Asuncion and other ports situated along the Parana, Paraguay and Uruguay river system. Four flat-deck ocean and river barges are also part of the new group of Sur vessels. Measuring 112 ft. (34 m), Papu Sur, along with its sister vessel Papu Norte, were designed and constructed for Crowley Marine's sub- sidiary, Vessel Management Services. 44 Circle 352 on Reader Service Card

TDI-Halter Delivers Pride Texas

Gulfport, Miss.-based TDI-Halter, a

Halter Marine Group company complet- ed its conversions and upgrades of Pride

Texas and Pride Kansas from mat slot to mat cantilevered jackup drilling rigs.

Designed to handle a 1,400 kip hook load at 45 ft. (13.7 m) cantilevered posi- tion, Texas is able to move up to 12 ft. (3.6 m) off centerline to port to starboard — in depths of as much as 300 ft. (91 m). To accommodate the new cantilever system, as well as enabling the rig to work against fixed platforms in deepwater, the mat was increased in size and modified. Texas is the second of the conversions to be per- formed by Halter. The first conversion was Kansas, which underwent alter- ations in January 1999.

Circle 45 on Reader Service Card