Steiner Construction Co., Bayou La Batre, Ala., has delivered the 88'x36'x9'6" triple-screw towboat Grant Gattle to Terral RiverService (TRS), Lake Providence, La. The new boat is a sister vessel to the Charlotte Gattle, which was also handed over in 2025.
Both vessels were built by Steiner and designed by naval architect Tom Farrell of Farrell & Norton Naval Architects, Newcastle, Maine.
Farrell said he had not worked with Terral in the past and was introduced to the towing company through the shipyard.
“Since the boat was a retractable pilothouse, the space of the boat was limited,” he said. “We work extensively to use all the space efficiently.”
Main propulsion comes from three Mitsubishi S6R2-Y3MPTAW-3 engines, each delivering 800 hp at 1,400 rpm. The diesel engines spin 76"x53" Sound propellers through Twin Disc MGX-5321DC marine gears with 4.96:1 reduction ratios.
The Grant Gattle, which has a draft of 8'6", will serve as a secondary towing vessel for TRS, operating along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atchafalaya and Red rivers.
“The vessel’s lines and production were one of the biggest challenges to the design,” Farrell said. “The vessel was designed with extensive shape to the propeller tunnels, bilges and bow and stern rakes. The structure had to be designed and nested to be able to build in the shape.”
Ship’s service power comes from twin John Deere gensets, each of which spark 99 kW of electrical power. The towboat’s controls are from Twin Disc, and its steering system was manufactured by Custom Hydraulic Components, Harvey, La. The pilothouse lift system was supplied by Gulf Coast Air and Hydraulics, Mobile, Ala., and the electronics suite is populated with Furuno products.
Capacities include 34,400 gals. of fuel; 10,600 gals. potable water; 1,650 gals. lube oil; 200 gals. hydraulic oil; and a crew of six.
While most inland towboats look the same, from the outside, except for size, there are differences on the inside and on deck. Farrell said future designs will be dictated by the owners and operators. “The different options for propulsion are getting better and more competitive in price, but they need to get owners on board before major change will happen,” he said.
