C &C Marine and Repair, Belle Chasse, La., has delivered the final vessel in a four-boat series of 2,600-hp. Inland towboats to New Orleans-based Canal Barge Company. The final vessel, the Mimsy H. Lindner, follows the Al Sloss, the first boat in the series, the Deborah H. Valentine, and the Cabby H. Boone. All four vessels have been delivered since January.
Canal Barge worked closely with C&C’s project management and engineering teams throughout the series, folding in adjustments to suit the company’s operations as the series progressed.
“Throughout the construction of all four boats, C&C Marine has not only met our expectations, but exceeded them,” said Mike Stone, project manager for Canal Barge Company. “The quality and performance of the vessels have been fantastic, and our captains particularly appreciate the additional horsepower these vessels provide.”
The twin-screw Mimsy H. Lindner measures 87’x33’8”x11’3” and is powered by a pair of Tier 4 Mitsubishi S12R main engines that drive the boat through Reintjes WAF 665 reduction gears from Karl Senner LLC. Laborde Products supplied the main engines and the vessel’s generator set.
The Mimsy H. Lindner features eight berths and a joiner system by Kern Martin. GMENI Marine Electronics and Supply furnished the vessels navigation and communications equipment, which includes Furuno radars, a transducer, satellite compass, AIS, a bridge alarm system and loudhailer, a Standard Horizon VHF radio, Radio Zeeland swingmeter, Ritchie magnetic compass, and a Young weather sensor. A pair of Carlisle & Finch 1,000-watt searchlights adorn the wheelhouse, and on deck are two Wintech 40-ton winches.
Matthew Dobson, C&C Marine’s head of engineering, said the series’ 2,600-hp. spec was in response to operator insight.
“Over the past several years, we have seen a number of lower horsepower towboats enter the market, but we continued to hear from operators, and particularly from captains, that they want additional horsepower,” Dobson said. “The Mitsubishi S12R is a proven engine, and for this application, we believe the 2,600-hp. twin-screw arrangement provides an excellent combination of power, maneuverability, simplicity, and maintainability.”
While C&C has completed its four-boat series with Canal Barge, the shipyard is building six more towboats to the same specifications on speculation. One of those is under contract, with the remaining five available. Delivers will begin in September at roughly two-month intervals.
“Building a towboat on spec takes capital, manpower, and production slots, and it takes real confidence in the boat you are putting on the water,” said Tony Cibilich, owner and president of C&C Marine and Repair. “We have that confidence, and it pays off on both ends. An operator who needs horsepower does not have to wait a full new-build cycle, and our shops stay on a steady, predictable schedule.”
Founded in 1997, C&C Marine and Repair operates on 100-plus acres on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway just south of New Orleans. The company specializes in the design and construction of towboats, tugboats, dredges, dredge support vessels, barges, offshore supply vessels, and a wide range of other marine craft.
