American Cruise Lines, Guilford, Conn., launched its newest paddlewheeler on June 29 at Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md. Immediately after launching, tugs nudged the big hull into the yard’s outfitting basin, where the upper decks will be installed and outfitting completed. The launching came a few weeks after two 600-ton hull sections were joined together. When complete, the new riverboat will carry up to 150 passengers, like its sister vessel the Queen of the Mississippi, which went into service in 2012. In addition to these two vessels, American Cruise Lines plans to build two more riverboats over the next several years.
Blessey Marine Services added two more pushboats to its fleet recently. In May, Verret Shipyard, Plaquemine, La., delivered the 85'×30'×10'6" Laney Blessey Watkins to the Harahan, La., towboat operator. The four-deck vessel, with an enclosed rudder room, is powered by twin Cummins KTA38M diesels, producing 1,000 hp at 1,800 rpm each. The engines connect to 74"×58", stainless-steel, 4-bladed Rolls-Royce propellers through Reintjes WAF 564 marine gears with 6:1 reduction ratios. The new boat, which has accommodations for eight crew, has two 40-ton Patterson deck winches. Tankage includes 30,000 gals. of fuel oil and 16,000 gals. of potable water. In late June, Blessey took delivery of the 84'×34'×11' towboat Tim Scott from Southwest Shipyards, Channelview, Texas. The four-deck towboat with enclosed rudder room is powered by two Cummins KTA38M engines, each producing 1,000 hp at 1,800 rpm. The diesels turn 78"×62", 4-bladed, stainless steel Sound props through Reintjes gears with 7.1:1 reduction ratios. Tankage includes 34,000 gals. of fuel oil and 10,000 gals. potable water. Ship’s service power is the responsibility of two Cummins QSB7DM gensets, sparking 85 kW of electrical power each.
Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La., delivered the Raymond Evans, a Fast Response Cutter (FRC), to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 154' patrol craft is the 10th vessel in the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger used a design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the FRC’s 26' cutter boat. The Coast Guard took delivery on June 25 in Key West, Fla.
Moose Boats, Petaluma, Calif., has finalized a contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the construction of two M2-35 outboard catamarans for patrol and emergency response in the waters surrounding JFK and LaGuardia international airports. The 35'10"×13'6" M2-35 aluminum catamarans will be powered by twin Yamaha 350-hp outboards and equipped with self-contained Darley fire pumps. The new boats will each be capable of carrying and deploying 20 12-person life rafts. The M2-35s will be sisterships to the four M2-35s built for the New York City Police Department.
