Page 68: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2015)

WORKBOAT ANNUAL

PROPULSION

Sneed Delivers Z-Drive

Houma, La.-based Enterprise Mariner

Services, LLC (EMS) added its eighth

Z-drive towboat, the fourth from Sneed

Shipbuilding. The 87 x 34-ft. Sebastian

D, with an 11.5-ft. molded depth, was built by Sneed Shipbuilding of Chan- nelview, Texas. This boat is well-suited for working the Gulf Intracoastal Wa- terway where they routinely push two 30,000-barrel petroleum barges. Propul- sion power is provided by a pair of 1000- hp Cummins QSK38M Tier III diesel engines coupled to the ZF Marine AT 5111 WM-FP Z-Drives ? tted with 66- in. diameter propellers mounted in Kort nozzles. With these drives, the boats draw only 8.5 ft. As with the conven- tional boats, the QSK38M engines also give these very maneuverable Z-Drive boats plenty of power to safely handle the currents of the Mississippi River.

Tankage of these boats include: 30,000 gallons for fuel, 16,000 gallons for water and 500 gallons for lube oil.

Eastern Shipbuilding offers the 4,200 hp Thunderbolt inland towboat designed

Thunderstruck around twin azimuthing Verhaar Omega electric V-Pod propulsion and diesel- electric technology. The ESG approach was collaborative, with input from op- erators, naval architects (Gilbert As- sociates, Inc. (GAI)) and propulsion

OEM’s (Verhaar Omega: since 2012, 19

Omega V-pods have been installed and are in service in Europe on various types of vessels). Thunderbolt will be built to ABS rules, but will not be classed. “Regulatory (ABS) Class Rules/Electri- cal IEEE-45 Standards/USCG Regula- tions are what is used to design and build vessels regardless of whether it is an In- 68 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • NOVEMBER 2015

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