Hope Services News

Innovation and New Building are Key Movers for this Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider. Gordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, “We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2,000 horse power, and 116 inland tank barges. Today our vessels are bigger with more horsepower, pushing more barrels, than ten years ago.” The company carries a myriad of crude oils and refined products for its clients on a fleet of barges and inland towboats that has doubled in number over the last ten years.

The M/V Orange was delivered to Higman Barge Lines, of Houston, Texas.   The 78’x34’ vessel left Hope Services Shipyard’s facility yesterday en route to Channelview, Texas, where it will pick up its first tow. The 78’x34’ vessel is the fourth vessel in this class size that Hope Services has built for Higman. It marks the 77th vessel Hope Services has built in its twenty‐five year history.

Hope Services Shipyard of Dulac, La. delivered the M/V Trinity Bay on March 4 to Higman Marine Services of Houston, Texas. The delivery marks the 35th vessel Hope has constructed for Higman. The M/V Trinity Bay is the second 78-ft by 34-ft by 10-ft inland towing vessel Hope has manufactured for Higman. The first vessel of this size, the M/V Baffin Bay was delivered in November 2010. It is powered by a pair of Cummins KTA‐38M diesel engines providing 2,000 horsepower.

In spite of the economic gloom of 2010, the demand for solid reliable towboats for the U.S. inland waterways has continued. An example of this is Higman Marine Services’ latest addition. The final month of 2010 saw yet another towboat added to the fleet of their subsidiary Higman Barge Lines. As with many earlier boats The M/V Baffin Bay was built by Hope Services of Dulac Louisiana. But this boat is one of the newly designed and larger 78 by 34-ft vessels. Hull number 174 from Hope’s yard is also the 36th vessel from Hope for Higman.

When Holcim (U.S.) Inc. began construction of their new state-of-the-art plant in 2006 they wanted it to be a model of environmental sustainability. The plant and quarry in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri on the Mississippi River about 40 miles south of St. Louis would occupy only 1,700 acres of the 3,900-acres site, with the balance preserved as a conservation easement. Holcim also created and restored more than 60 acres of new wetlands, offering a large habitat resource. With production capacity of four million metric tons per year…

On December 17, 2009, the M/V Lisa Marie departed Hope Services Shipyard to join La Crosse, Wisconsin, based Brennan Marine’s tug fleet. The new towboat was delivered on schedule a common practice for Hope Service’s shipyard that has a five month turnaround on this type of tug classification. The 72 ft by 30 ft push tug has a 10 ft depth and 29 ft eye height. The three deck vessel is outfitted with two new Tier II type engines carrying a vessel rating of 2000 hp. The M/V Lisa Marie is the second vessel built by Hope for J.F. Brennan this year.

On October 5, 2009, Hope Services Inc. (HSI) delivered the M/V Lavaca Bay to Higman Marine Services, of Houston, Texas. The 2000 horsepower boat measures 72 ft by 30 ft with a draft of 10 ft. Hope Services, Inc. has been designing and building vessels since 1986, but has been expanding its operations over the last year to include more vessel repair and refurbishment at its Dulac, Louisiana, facility. In addition to the core ship building operations, HSI has now expanded to include offshore oil and gas fabrication, off loading of jackets and decks as well as storage of that equipment.

Hope Services Inc. (Hope) delivered the M/V Miss Sarah to Higman Marine Services, of Houston, Texas.  The 2000 horsepower boat measures 72 ft by 30 ft with a draft of 10 feet.  This delivery marks the 32nd vessel Hope has produced for Higman.

On July 8, 2009, Hope Services Inc. and Higman Marine Services, of Houston, Texas, signed a contract for the delivery of two new vessels. The first of the two will be delivered in March 2010 and the second in June 2010. “The working relationship between Hope and Higman goes back many years,” according to Rocky Henderson, President of Hope Services, Inc. “We are grateful for the business and look forward to fabricating these new vessels for a great customer.” The two 78 ft by 32 ft vessel s will have a 10 ft depth and will carry 2,000 hp engines. These boats will be the largest vessels Hope has built for Higman. This contract brings the total number of vessels that Hope has built for Higman to thirty-two.

On June 19, 2009,the M/V Roger Binsfeld departed from Hope Services Inc.’s Dulac, LA shipyard to join J.F. Brennan’s tug fleet in La Crosse, WI. The new towboat was built ahead of schedule - a common practice for Hope Service’s shipyard that is averaging delivery of six new hulls a year. The 72 ft x 30 ft push tug has a 10 ft depth and 29 ft eye height and is outfitted with two new Tier 2 type engines carrying a vessel rating of 2000 HP. The M/V Roger Binsfeld was built with extra reinforcement in its push knees and hull and will begin working for Brennan in St.

Late in 2008 Higman Barge Lines Inc. took delivery of another in their series of 72 by 30 ft 2000 hp push boats. Along with a number of other vessels, the M/V Alliance was built at Hope Services Inc. in Dulac, Louisiana as their Hull Number 165. This was followed by the Erik Salen, a sister vessel, in January 2009. A third towboat, the Kal A. Shaw, being built to the same design, will be delivered to Higman Barge Lines in mid-April. With a hull depth of 10 ft and a somewhat smaller draft, the 144 gross ton vessels are well suited to working Americas Inland Waterways.

Hope Services of Dulac, La., have built two more of their popular 72 x 30-ft. pushboats. These two, the eighteenth and nineteenth to the design, are for Higman Towing of Houston, Texas. The first was delivered last May and the second is currently undergoing sea trials for an early August delivery. Each boat is powered by a pair of 12-cylinder Cummins KTA38 M0 engines rated for 850 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines turn into Twin Disc 540 gears with 6.14:1 reduction. The 73 x 58-in. four-blade stainless propellers are mounted on six-in. stainless shafts. Electrical needs are met by a pair of Cummins 6B series powered 50 kW gen sets. Accommodation on the 1,700 hp tugs is provided for six people in three staterooms with additional space utilized for a washer and dryer.

Hope Services of Dulac, La., is putting the finishing touches on the 20th in the series of their popular 72x30-ft. pushboats. The last two, the 18th and 19th to the design, were built for Higman Towing of Houston, and were delivered in May and August of 2002. Each boat in the series is powered by a pair of 12-cylinder Cummins KTA38 M0 engines rated for 850 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines turn into Twin Disc 540 gears with 6.14:1 reduction. The 73 x 56-in. four-blade stainless propellers are mounted on six-in. stainless shafts. Electrical needs are met by a pair of Cummins 6B series powered 50 kW gen sets. Accommodation on the 1,700 hp tugs is provided for six people in three staterooms with additional space utilized for a washer and dryer.

Hope Services of Dulac Louisiana is putting the finishing touches on the twentieth in the series of their popular 72x30-ft. pushboats. The last two, the eighteenth and nineteenth to the design, were built for Higman Towing of Houston Texas and were delivered in May and August of 2002. Each boat in the series is powered by a pair of 12-cylinder Cummins KTA38 M0 engines rated for 850 HP at 1800 RPM. The engines turn into Twin Disc 540 gears with 6.14:1 reduction. The 73x56-inch four-blade stainless propellers are mounted on six-inch stainless shafts. Electrical needs are met by a pair of Cummins 6B series powered 50 Kw gen sets. Accommodation on the 1700 HP tugs is provided for six people in three staterooms with additional space utilized for a washer and dryer.

Andy Martin of AMT Marine will take delivery this May of a 136 x 34 x 12-ft. mini-supply boat from Hope Services of Dulac, La. The new boat, designed by Frank Basil's Entech and Associates of Houma, will be powered by a pair of Cummins V-12 KTA38 M0 main engines rated for 850 hp each at 1,800 rpm and driving through Twin Disc MG5301 gears with a ratio of 5.96:1. It's what this combination is driving that makes the story. On the end of each stainless steel six-in. shaft will be mounted a 66 x 54-in. five-blade prop from Padgett-Swan. Computer modelling has shown a gain of up to 1.5 knots with this combination and the five-blade props over four-blade props. Given the new boat's cargo capacities ? approximately 95,000 gallons of water and 90,000 of fuel ?