Blount Lands Oyster Boat Contract

Tallmadge Brothers, Inc., a South Norwalk, Conn.-based oyster grower, has signed a contract with Blount Shipyard in Warren, R.I., to design and construct a 104- ft. (31.7-m), 6,000-bushel, welded steel oyster dredge vessel. At this bushel capacity, the vessel could reportedly be the largest oyster dredger ever built in the U.S., and is reportedly the first new oyster boat built in the U.S. in the last 10 years. The vessel is scheduled to be completed by November 1996. It will be the 25th oyster boat in the Tallmadge fleet; the 6th built by Blount. Contract price is listed at $1,200,000, which includes complex machinery and specialized equipment. The new vessel will have 1,835 sq. ft. of working deck space served by hydraulic conveyors and a loader on deck. The 104 x 34 x 9-ft. (31.7 x 10.4 x 2.7-m) dredger will be propelled by a Caterpillar 3408 DITA diesel engine. It will have a pair of CAT 3306 engines for hydraulics and deck washdown pump, as well as a Northern Lights generator.

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