Master Boat Builders News

Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur on Thursday announced it has placed orders for four new escort tugs to serve the Port Arthur LNG export facility in Texas. Two will be constructed by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala., and two by Sterling Shipyard in Port Neches, Texas. Gulf LNG Tugs—a joint venture comprised of Bay-Houston Towing, Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company—said the new high horsepower, highly maneuverable RApport 2800 tugboats have been designed by naval architect Robert Allan Ltd.

Master Boat Builders has launched Patricia B. Moran, a new tugboat it is building for Moran Towing Corporation, based in New Canaan, Conn.The newbuild is one of two 86-foot (LOA) tugs the Coden, Ala. shipbuilder is building for Moran. Ordered in 2022, the tugs were designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will produce a bollard pull of over 55 metric tons. The vessel will each feature two Caterpillar main engines (3512E) that are EPA Tier 4 certified and produce 2,549 horsepower…

Birdon America on Thursday announced it has received a $14.75 million order from the U.S. Coast Guard for long lead time materials (LLTM) required to begin construction on the first Inland Construction Tender (WLIC) and the first River Buoy Tender (WLR).The vessels will be the first two built as part of Birdon’s $1.187 billion contract to design and build 27 new Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCC) to replace the Coast Guard's aging fleet of 35 inland tenders that support the service’s aids to navigation (ATON) mission in federal inland waterways.Denver-based Birdon America…

Crowley on Tuesday christened its new vessel, eWolf, the first all-electric ship assist tugboat in the United States.Set to enter commercial service at the Port of San Diego this week, the 82-foot tug was built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders and designed by Crowley’s engineering services team to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and 70-ton bollard pull strength.“The eWolf is a historic milestone in the maritime industry and Crowley’s legacy and underscores our company’s commitment to serve as global sustainability leaders and innovators…

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

Crowley Maritime Corporation has owned and operated a lot of vessels since its founding in 1892. But the latest vessel to join its fleet is unlike any other that has come before it.Crowley’s new harbor tug, eWolf, is unique in that it runs 100% powered by batteries, not diesel engines, meaning it produces zero emissions and nearly no noise. Not only is the vessel the first fully electric tug in the Crowley fleet, but it is also the first of its kind in the United States.Faced with stricter regulations and commercial pressure to prioritize environmental…

Industry trade group the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) announced the addition of four CEOs to its board of directors.The new board members include Wes Bordelon, Chief Executive Officer, Bordelon Marine; Stacy Jo Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Offshore Oil Services, Inc.; David Dantin, Chief Executive Officer, Odyssea Marine; and Lasse Petterson, Chief Executive Officer, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock."With the addition of these four executive leaders, OMSA pays homage to its roots while welcoming expanded opportunities in emerging energy frontiers…

Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders on Monday announced it has delivered Tortuga, the latest tugboat to join Seaside LNG/Polaris New Energy fleet.Tortuga will connect with the barge Clean Everglades, delivered from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in 2023, to form a Jones Act compliant articulated tug and barge (ATB) for bunkering liquefied natural gas (LNG).The new tug has an overall length of 109 feet and features two Caterpillar 3512E main engines, EPA Tier 4 certified and each producing 2,000 horsepower.

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced its new Board of Directors leadership and the incoming chairs of the SCA Partners Committee. The announcements kicked off the Association’s Annual Meeting on May 17 in Washington, D.C.Brad Moyer, Vice President of BAE Systems Ship Repair, is ascending from his Vice Chairman post to  Chairman of the Board, assuming the position from Ben Bordelon…

Crowley on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of its groundbreaking vessel eWolf, the first all-electric, ship assist harbor tugboat in the United States.The 82-foot tug, designed by Crowley’s engineering services team and built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, will enter service at the Port of San Diego this spring following final demonstration trials and completion of Crowley’s microgrid shoreside charging station. The vessel will operate with zero emissions while providing the complete performance capabilities of a traditional tug…

Analysts and commentators are quick to point out that fossil fuels will power maritime equipment, and indeed dominate the fueling marketplace, well into the future. However, they will do so alongside new fuels, and new technologies, that will be introduced to the maritime sector in the coming years. In its September, 2023 report “Beyond the Horizon: View of the Emerging Energy Value Chains”, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) explains that, “During the recent 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80)…

The first all-electric tugboat built in the United States, Crowley's eWolf, has started sea trials along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The 82-foot ship assist tug, built by Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders, is expected to enter service at the Port of San Diego in 2024. Video footage of the vessel on sea trials was shared by Crowley on social media.The eWolf is designed to operate on full electric power, producing zero carbon emissions and expected 70 ton bollard pull strength.

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipbuilder Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) held a christening ceremony for recently constructed liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge Clean Everglades.The vessel is the sister ship to the LNG barge, Clean Canaveral, which was delivered by FBS two years ago and has made more than 65 successful LNG bunker deliveries. Similar in design and appearance, the articulated tug barge (ATB) will hold 5,500 cubic meters of LNG.“The previous FBS-built LNG barge was delivered on schedule during the global pandemic…

Gulf LNG Tugs of Brownsville has ordered four new tugs to serve the Rio Grande LNG export facility (RGLNG), which has commenced construction in Brownsville, Texas.Gulf LNG Tugs is a joint venture formed between Bay-Houston Towing Co., Moran Towing Corporation and Suderman & Young Towing Company to provide tug services for RGLNG under a long-term tug services agreement.The company announced Tuesday it signed construction contracts with Coden, Ala. shipyard Master Boat Builders and Port Neches, Texas shipbuilder Sterling Shipyard.

Birdon America announced it has selected  Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders to build the superstructures for the U.S. Coast Guard's Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program.In 2022, Birdon was awarded a contract worth up to $1.187 billion to design and build up to 27 new vessels under the WCC program, including 16 River Buoy Tenders (WLR) and 11 Inland Construction Tenders (WLIC). The vessels will be constructed within a 10-year period commencing with an 18-month design finalization period.Birdon had previously tapped Louisiana-based Bollinger Shipyards to build the hulls…

Crowley and the Port of San Diego broke ground for the shoreside charging station designed to provide clean energy for the company’s forth-coming zero-emissions tugboat, eWolf.The charging station is a microgrid charging facility that will allow vessels to recharge quickly while reducing peak loads on the community energy grid. It is equipped with two containerized energy storage systems provided by Corvus Energy. The station is designed to operate on off-peak hours from the community’s energy grid, and it includes a solar power array to support renewable energy use.

Seattle-based Markey Machine said it has received an order to supply Markey DEPCF-52 hawser winches and separate CEW-60 capstans for two new escort tugs being built for Moran Towing at Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala.“As we proudly unveil our newly announced tug builds, we entrust the power and efficiency of Markey winches as our chosen partner,” said Sean Perrault, Moran Towing's VP of engineering services. “Moran Towing and Markey Machine LLC have forged a long-standing relationship built on trust…

New Canaan, Conn. based towage provider Moran Towing Corporation announced it has ordered another pair of tugs from Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders for delivery through 2025.The newbuilds, developed by Moran in collaboration with Vancouver, B.C. naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd., are RApport 2800 escort tugs designed to provide more than 80 metric tons of bollard pull. At 92 feet and with a breadth of 40 feet, the tugs will rank among the largest and most powerful in Moran's fleet, slated to help handle the larger, deeper draft vessels calling ports along the U.S.

Offshore service vessels, along with workboats serving harbors and inland rivers, have embarked on an industry-wide voyage toward reduced emissions of greenhouse gasses. Professor Craig Philip, a faculty member with Vanderbilt University’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resilience (VECTOR) and former CEO of Ingram Barge Company, provides this context: “The Maritime Sector has long provided shippers with the most fuel-efficient and sustainable freight transport option…

Much has changed since Marine News’ 2022 shipbuilding report published in March last year, and business opportunities in certain market segments continue to grow. But the shipyards that are looking to cash in are still facing many of the same challenges.For example, many American shipyards and their partners throughout the shipbuilding supply chain are still finding it difficult to attract and retain the workers they need. If you’re a skilled craftsperson looking for a job in shipbuilding, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of openings at shipyards across the country.

Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders has delivered the new tug Hayden Grace to Bay Houston Towing Co. for operations in Galveston, Texas.The new 85-foot-long vessel is the first in a series of three RApport 2600 tug designed by Canadian firm Robert Allan Ltd. ordered by Bay Houston Towing. The design team and the client worked to address operational challenges the vessel would face. Main features of this latest RApport design include compact size and shallow draft allowing it to operate in more confined waterways than previous Z-Tech vessels…

Corvus Energy on Thursday announced it will supply shoreside battery energy storage systems (ESS) for Crowley's eWolf, the first zero-emission, all-electric tugboat being built for operations in the U.S.The system will consist of two Corvus Orca BOBs—the containerized version of the Corvus Orca ESS—used for charging the vessel shoreside from when it enters service in San Diego’s harbor in 2023.Corvus Energy is also supplying the 6.2 MWh Corvus Orca ESS on board eWolf, which is currently under construction at Master Boat Builders…