Eastern Shipbuilding Group has delivered the Bill Seymour, the 60th 90’ inland towboat it has built for Florida Marine Transporters, Mandeville, La.
In January 2015, FMT ordered an additional towboat from Panama City, Fla.-based, bringing the total to 63 vessels contracted over the last 10 years. Five of the most recent 90’ inland towboat deliveries to FMT occurred over the past year. The 3,000-hp Bill Seymour was constructed at Eastern’s Allanton, Fla., facility from a design furnished by Gilbert Associates, Inc. of Boston, MA.
This ongoing order for 90’ towboats originally began with a 25-vessel contract, with on-time deliveries starting in 2006. Eastern said the FMT towboat contract is the largest single builder, single owner, new construction program with the same class towboat design in U.S. history.
The vessels recently delivered and under contract with Florida Marine are installed with EPA Tier 3 main propulsion engines and generators. The vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3512C Tier 3 diesel engines each rated at 1,500 hp at 1,600 rpm provided by Louisiana Power Systems. The reduction gears are direct coupled Twin-Disc MG-5600s with 6.04:1 reduction ratios. The gears were supplied by Stewart Supply, Harvey, La.
Electrical power is provided by John Deere 4045AFM85 generator engines that power the 99-kW Tier 3 generator sets rated for 60 Hz, at 208 VAC provided by Kennedy Engine Company, Biloxi, Miss. These diesel engines comply with the current EPA Tier 3/MARPOL control of emissions of nitrogen oxides from marine diesel engines.
Eastern is now one of the largest manufacturers of inland towboats in the U.S., with 71 delivered since 2006.
