View non-flash version
90 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? AUGUST 2014 As the United States aims to-wards energy independence by the end of this decade, domestic shipyards and ves-sels owners are reaping rewards from this most unexpected turn of events.Hydraulic Fracturing, or fracking, has been the main (and well publicized) cul-prit in the rapid turn of events. While the proliferation of gas has been widely known for years, the presence of oil, in quantity, was a pleasant surprise that has set domestic operators on a tear to devise new means to deliver the tools and ma-terials needed for fracking operations, and to move product to market more ef-Þ ciently than the present method of road and rail. But energy is not the only story, as U.S. marine vessel operators have in-vested in ß eets to adopt new technolo- gies and switching to cleaner burning engines and fuels to meet emerging, strict regulations. Following is a recap of some of the more notable recent events in the U.S. maritime market.McAllister Towing marks its 150th anniversary this year, and the company?s ß eet includes more than 75 tugs serving the U.S. East Coast from Maine down to Puerto Rico. McAllister?s business is multi-dimensional, from traditional ship docking to harbor and coastal tow-ing and bulk operations. It also owns the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Co., a business which runs passenger/car ferries between Connecticut and New York. Fourth-generation Captain Brian A. McAllister worked his way up on the company?s vessels and has been at the helm since 1974. Two years ago on his 80th birthday, Captain Brian promoted the Þ fth generation, his sons Buckley and Eric, and today the com-pany is led by Chairman Brian McAl-lister, President Buckley McAllister and COO Eric McAllister. This year, McAl- lister welcomes three new-built Z-drive or azimuth thruster tugs, making one third of its ß eet modern Z-drive tractor tugs. The Buckley McAllister, a 5,150- hp tractor tug built by Senesco Marine in Rhode Island, was launched in June and is based at McAllister?s Providence site. Buckley?s sister vessel, the Eric McAllister, was to delivered in July, and this fall McAllister plans to launch the Tate McAllister, a 6,000-hp tractor un- der construction at Washburn Doughty in Maine. Edison Chouest Offshore , based in Cut Off, La., got its start in 1960 when founder Edison bought a 65-ft. steel-hulled shrimp boat and hauled supplies to an offshore rig. The family-run Þ rm swelled into a ship construction and oilÞ eld services leader, with more than 7,000 employees worldwide. ECO?s ß eet now exceeds 250 specialized off- shore service and support vessels.At the helm is president and CEO Gary Chouest, the son of Edison who passed away in 2008. Its presence in the ship-building sector has grown since it built North American Shipbuilding in Larose, La., in 1974. In 1996 Chouest afÞ liate North American Fabricators opened in Houma, La, and then afÞ liates Gulfship in Mississippi and Navship in Naveg-antes, Brazil opened. In the late 1990s, Chouest built two C-port facilities at Port Fourchon, La. to transfer cargo from deepwater vessels. Last year, the company said its orderbooks included 40 newbuilds at its U.S. Gulf afÞ liate yards and its Brazilian and Polish afÞ liates. Among them were 17 diesel-electric, 312-ft. platform supply vessels, with op-tions for another 20. The company said it was producing four subsea construc-tion vessels for Gulf of Mexico service. The new-builds included a refueling ves-sel, a multi-purpose construction supply vessel, a diesel-electric well stimula-tion boat and seven fast supply vessels. Chouest?s Navship in Brazil, its largest afÞ liate with more than 1,600 employ- ees, has been building diesel-electric PSVs and anchor handlers.Crowley Maritime Corp. said that the third of four tugboats in the Ocean-class SOHRE TURBOMACHINERY® INC. 0 R Q V R Q 0 D V V 8 6 $ ? 7 H O , 1 ) 2 # 6 2 + 5 ( 7 8 5 % 2 & 2 0 ? : : : 6 2 + 5 ( 7 8 5 % 2 & 2 0 $ U H 6 W U D \ ( O H F W U L F D O & X U U H Q W V ' H V W U R \ L Q J < R X U 0 D F K L Q H U \ " Sohre SHAFT GROUNDING (EARTHING) BRUSHES are used on propeller shafts, turbines, generators, electric motors, gears, pumps, etc. Failure to properly ground (earth) rotating shafts can result in expensive damage to seals, bearings, or other critical components.? 6 H O I & O H D Q L Q J? 2 S H U D W H G U \ R U Z L W K R L O? * R O G V L O Y H U E U L V W O H V? : R U N L Q J S D U W V D U H U H P R Y D E O H during operation? % U X V K L Q W H U Q D O V D U H insulated from casing? 9 R O W D J H D Q G F X U U H Q W P R Q L W R U V are available? / L W W O H R U Q R P D L Q W H Q D Q F H © 2013 Sohre Turbomachinery, Inc. Energy Markets Buoy U.S. Shipbuilding Proliferation of energy related transport continues to drive commercial U.S. Shipbuilding By Maritime Reporter Staff MR #8 (90-97).indd 90MR #8 (90-97).indd 908/7/2014 9:58:57 AM8/7/2014 9:58:57 AM
