US-based Crowley Fuels LLC announced the signing of a contract with Bollinger Shipyards for construction of a new Alaska Class 100,000-barrel-capacity articulated tug-barge (ATB) to transport multiple clean petroleum products in the Alaska market.
Crowley’s marine solutions group has been contracted to provide vessel construction management services in the shipyard from final design phase through to delivery. Once built and deployed, Crowley will operate the ATB under a long-term charter with Alaska-based Petro Star Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC).
The Alaska-class vessel will be built at Bollinger Marine Fabricators Shipyard, in Amelia, La., with an expected delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2019. The contract with Bollinger includes an option to build a second ATB.
“While Crowley has operated ATBs in Alaska in the past, this will be the first ATB of its size and class that will be dedicated to the Alaska market,” said Rocky Smith, Crowley Fuels’ senior vice president and general manager.
Jensen Maritime, Crowley’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary, designed the 483-foot ATB to meet Ice Class and Polar Code requirements including increased structural framing and shell plating and extended zero discharge endurance. It also features a ship-shape bow to enhance its ability to maneuver in icy conditions.
The tug’s main GE engines, as well as the barge engines, meet US EPA’s Tier IV environmental standards for emissions-reducing performance requirements. In addition, it features deep-well pumps in each cargo tank, as well as all-electric deck machinery to reduce the risk of hydraulic spills. The barge is also outfitted with spill response gear and two hydraulic boom reels with inflatable booms to support spill response efforts.
The ATB, to be named Oliver Leavitt, was designed under the SOLAS Convention and it will be classed with ABS.
