Florida Transporters Orders Four Additional Eastern Towboats

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. is announced that Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. of Mandeville, La. exercised an additional four 90’x32’x10’ Canal Class Inland Towboats. On January 23, 2013, Florida Marine Transporters, Inc. signed the 56th vessel that is currently under construction and with these additional four towboats brings the total to 60 vessels contracted. This ongoing option contract adds four more towboats that will be constructed from a common design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, Mass.

This series of towboats originally began with a 25 vessel contract with on-time deliveries starting in 2006. It has expanded to become the largest single builder new construction program of the same class towboat design in United States history.

Installed in these new vessels will be Tier 3 main propulsion engines and generators. The vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3512C Tier 3 diesel engines rated at 1,500 HP at 1,600 RPM provided by Louisiana Power Systems. The reduction gears are direct coupled Twin-Disc Model MG-5600 with a 6.04:1 reduction supplied by Sewart Supply, Inc. of Harvey, Louisiana. Electrical power is provided by two 99kW John Deere 4045AFM85 99KW Tier 3 generator sets rated for 60 Hz, at 208 VAC provided by Kennedy Engine Company of Biloxi, MS. These diesel engines comply with the current EPA/MARPOL control of emissions of nitrogen oxides from marine diesel engines.

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