Eymard Marine Construction & Repair, Harvey, La., has completed the Kelley Reid, the latest towboat in an 11-vessel construction program for Hines Furlong Line.
The 78'x34'x10' towboat has a triple-screw propulsion system powered by three Mitsubishi S6R2 Tier 3 engines. Each engine is rated at 803 hp at 1,400 rpm, giving the vessel approximately 2,400 hp.
Two 65-kW generator sets provide electrical power. Laborde Products, Covington, La., supplied the main engines and generator sets.
The Kelley Reid follows five vessels identified as previously completed under the program, the Donny Mudgett, Sun Valley, Oxford, Sawtooth, and Bob Nienhuis. The boats use common propulsion and auxiliary equipment, giving Hines Furlong similar operating and maintenance requirements across the series.
“When you’re building at this volume, you don’t want variation from one boat to the next,” said Karl Morley, senior engineer of new construction and leased vessels at Hines Furlong Line. “We’re putting the same foundation under each vessel so we know exactly how it’s going to run, how it’s going to be maintained, and what to expect across the board.”
The newbuild program comes as Hines Furlong expands its inland marine operations. The Nashville, Tenn.-headquartered company completed its acquisition of Campbell Transportation Co.’s river division in January. Following the transaction, Hines Furlong said it employed more than 800 people and owned or managed more than 800 hopper and tank barges and 64 inland towboats. The company also controlled more than 1,000 permitted fleeting spaces.
Hines Furlong operates towboats on the Cumberland, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi rivers and provides towing, fleeting, vessel leasing, charter, shipyard, and tank barge services. The company says its family history on the inland waterways spans more than 150 years.
Laborde Products distributes commercial marine propulsion and power-generation equipment from facilities in Covington, Deer Park, Texas, and Paducah, Ky.
“This kind of program only works if everything lines up from boat to boat,” said Bradley Matte, Sales Representative at Laborde Products. “The engines and generator sets were selected to stay consistent across the series and match how these vessels are expected to operate.”
