United Marine International LLC, of Baltimore, has delivered new Trashcat skimmer vessels to the cities of Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The City of Baltimore took delivery of the first of two low profile Trashcat boats. UMI Model #TC-200L, with a 200 cu. ft. on-board storage capacity, is designed with a side-mounted operator's cab, which provides the operator with nearly seven ft. of overhead clearance. The second vessel, UMI Model #TC-200LP, has a unique extra low profile, which is obtained by providing a side-mounted operator's cab with a tilt-over feature. The City of Baltimore specified the design to enable the skimmer to maneuver under pedestrian bridges specially designed with low slopes to assist handicapped tourists to cross its Inner Harbor canal systems.
In order to deal with the corrosive salt water conditions of Baltimore's harbor, both skimmers are completely fabricated of 304L stainless steel.
In Fort Lauderdale, the city purchased a UMI Model #TC-200L Trashcat, as well as a UMI Model #TS-200 high-speed Transport Shuttle Barge and a UMI Model #TLT-200 Tilt & Load Trailer. The barge is specially designed to receive debris offloaded directly from the Trashcat into its 200 cu. ft. removable storage container. The city canals, all of which are along highly developed property, had no readily available accessible staging areas for offloading. Using the matched shuttle barge enables the skimmer vessel to unload itself quickly wherever it is operating and to continue its mission of removing floating debris with minimal down time.
The Tilt & Load Trailer can transport either the Trashcat or the shuttle barge over the highways, as well as launch or retrieve them from the water or on the ground during maintenance or storage.