Dinner boats, construction barges and other small fry in the bustling New York-New Jersey harbor waterways will be getting fill-ups from the Chandra B., a new 79’x23’x8’ diesel bunkering tanker for American Petroleum and Transport Inc., Miller Place, N.Y.
Blount Boats, Warren, R.I., delivered the Chandra B. on Sept. 6. Built to Coast Guard Subchapter D regulations, the vessel will replace AP&T’s tanker Capt. Log. It is part of the long-term conversion of U.S. tank vessels to double hulls for added protection from oil spills.
With a capacity of 56,450 gals. in six tanks, the steel Chandra B. has nearly triple the tankage of the old 57'×15' Capt. Log, which had a 19,000-gal. capacity. AP&T earlier replaced two single-skin tankers, the 6,000-gal. Patrick Sky and the 4,000-gal. Scotty Sky, with 10,000-bbl., double-hulled barges.
The Chandra B. will be “the only self-propelled tanker left” in the company’s fleet, AP&T’s Steve Bragoli told WorkBoat earlier this year.
Designed by Farrell & Norton Naval Architects, Newcastle, Me., the Chandra B. is powered by a pair of Tier III–compliant Cummins QSL9 engines that each put out 330 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines drive ZF Model W325 marine hydraulic gears, with a 4.91:1 reduction ratio turning 48”x54” 4-bladed nickel-aluminum-bronze propellers from HS Marine Propulsion, on 3.5” Aquamet shafts. Speed is 8.5 knots maximum, and 7 knots cruise fully loaded at 1,600 rpm.
Beyond those twin engines, the Chandra B. is even more maneuverable than the old single-screw Capt. Log, with a 50 hp, 18” Wesmar hydraulic bow thruster. At under 100 tons, it can operate with a crew of two to four. Tankage for the vessel’s needs is 5,000 gals. diesel fuel, 200 gals. fresh water and 200 gals. waste water.
The ship’s service power is provided by two 29 kW Cummins MDKDS Tier III gensets. Wheelhouse electronics include a Furuno suite of Navnet color chart plotter, radar and GPS Navigator.
