News: Bollinger Delivers ATB for Bouchard

Bouchard Coastwise Management Co., Hicksville, NY, has added to its fleet a double-hull articulated ocean-going tug/barge units (ATB) with the delivery from Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., of the 130-ft. tug Jane A. Bouchard and the 430-ft., 110,000 barrel (BBL) class double-hull oil Barge B. No. 225 that meets the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA '90). The Jane A. Bouchard and Barge B. No. 225 is the first of a two ATB contract between Bouchard and Bollinger. The second, planned for delivery in May 2004, will be the sister ship, Morton S. Bouchard IV and a larger, 487-ft. barge B. No. 242 capable of carrying 135,000 BBL of clean petroleum products. Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, chairman and CEO of Bollinger said, "Barge B. No 225 brings the total OPA '90 barges built by Bollinger yards to 20 with three more under construction, one for Bouchard and two for another customer. We have positioned ourselves well in the OPA 90 market, with our Gretna and Marine Fabricator facilities building for the industry and other Bollinger locations handling conversions of barges to meet OPA 90 regulations. Each location has established portfolios providing quality, expertise and the ability to adjust to client/industry requirements." The Jane A. Bouchard was built at Bollinger's Lockport, La., shipyard and the Barge B. No. 225 was built at Bollinger Gretna, in Harvey, La.. Joined together by an Intercon coupler system, they form a 520-ft. ATB unit capable of carrying several types of petroleum products.

Jane A. Bouchard, named in honor of the mother of Morton Bouchard III, company president, is 130-ft. long with a 38-ft. beam and normal operating draft of 19-ft. Maximum draft is 22-ft. It is powered by two channel cooled General Motors EMD 16-645-F7BA diesel engines developing a total of 6,140 bhp. They drive two Bollinger manufactured five-blade, 140-in. diameter by 94-in., manganese/bronze propellers through Reintjes WAT 3455 reverse/reduction gears with a ratio of 4.480:1.

Three Detroit Diesel 8V-71 engines driving three Baylor generators develop a total of 297 kW of electrical power. The engines are started by Quincy air compressors and monitored by an EMI 72-point system. A Sperry Marine electro/hydraulic system steers the tug. The tug's deck is outfitted with an Intercon single-drum hydraulic tow winch, forward and aft vertical electric capstans and a rescue boat and davit. The Intercon coupler system has two electric rams that lock into a rack or ladder at the notched stern section of the barge that when the tug and barge are locked together, keeps each of the two units rigidly in place. The system provides a single degree of freedom allowing the tug to pitch about a transverse connection between the tug and barge. All other motions are restrained so that tug motions match barge motions in roll and heave.