Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Vigor Delivers 3 Barges to Foss

By Mark Edward Nero

Vigor Industrial’s Tacoma shipyard has delivered three 60-by-24-by-15.5-foot breasting barges to Foss Maritime. The barge system is planned be used to moor Shell’s drill rigs at Terminal 5 in Seattle, where the company is scheduled to ready its fleet for Arctic drilling this summer.

The project was completed in less than two months.

“We are so pleased that our Tacoma shipyard is now building new vessels,” Vigor Fab sales manager Bryan Nichols said. “Over the years, Tacoma teams have earned a stellar reputation for quality commercial ship repair and major refits. Adding newbuilds to its résumé increases our capacity in the region.”

In the last few years, Vigor Tacoma shipyard has completed a number of major refits including midbody extensions for two Coastal Transportation vessels. Vigor teams added 164 tons of steel to the freight carrier Coastal Progress, increasing its length by 46 feet. Similar work was later done on its sister ship, Coastal Nomad. The F/V Pacific Ram, owned by Trident Seafoods, also chose Tacoma for a major refit.

Sponsoning added five feet to each side of the catcher and a new bulbous bow was installed for added efficiency. Its fish hold capacity was increased by 35 percent and its seakeeping and stability improved.

“This was a logical next step,” Nichols said of the newbuilds’ construction. “Our goal has been to create facilities that fill the needs of different types of customers.”