Harley Marine Receives Tank Barge

By Mark Edward Nero

The Vigor Fab shipyard in Portland, Oregon has delivered the tank barge Fight ALS to Harley Marine Gulf. The vessel is to join Harley’s offshore fleet working the Gulf and East Coast to transport petroleum products, specifically gasoline and distillates.

The barge has a length of 422 feet, a beam of 76 feet, eight inches, and a depth of 27 feet. The barge includes 12 separate cargo tanks and has the ability to pump cargo at 10,000 barrels per hour. A nitrogen-generating tank inerting system is fitted, and all pump and auxiliary engines meet Tier 3 standards.

The 83,000-bbl tank barge was designed by architectural and engineering company Elliott Bay Design Group. EBDG’s scope for the project, according to project manager Mike Complita, included the complete ABS design and approval package, as well as structural lofting and systems detail drawings.

It is the third 83,000-bbl ATB tank barge recently designed by EBDG and built for Harley Marine, with the sister barges being Dr. Robert J. Beall and Fight Fanconi Anemia.

“We have enjoyed a long relationship with Elliott Bay Design Group and have had great success working with them on the new build designs and their complete customer service mission,” Harley Marine Services Vice President of Marine Operations Keith Barnes said.

Vigor Delivers 2nd of 3 Ferries

By Mark Edward Nero

The brand new 144-car ferry MV Samish is officially set take its place amid Washington state’s ferry system. Washington State Ferries accepted the Samish from builder/contractor Vigor Industrial on April 10.

Following two months of sea trials and crew training, the $126 million ferry is expected to begin service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route on June 14, in time for the start of the summer sailing season.

“I’m delighted to take delivery of the Samish,” Ferries Assistant Secretary Lynne Griffith said. “More than 23 million passengers rely on our ferry system every year. Adding another Olympic Class vessel represents the state’s continued commitment to replace older vessels and plan for the future.”

The new ferry’s name comes from a tribal word meaning, "giving people." It is the second of three funded, Olympic class vessels to replace the aging, midcentury-era Evergreen State class vessels.

The $126 million Samish offers an ADA-compliant, car-deck restroom; flexible seating configurations; improved heating and ventilation; and wider stairwells and passageways.

“The Samish represents the very best in state-of-the-art ferry design and has helped strengthen the maritime community by supporting more than 500 jobs throughout the Puget Sound,” Vigor Fab sales director Bryan Nichols said.

Washington First Lady Trudi Inslee is scheduled to christen the vessel at a May 20 open house at the Anacortes ferry terminal.

Vigor Industrial’s US Fab Division has a contract with Washington State Ferries for design and construction of three 144-car ferries. The first, Tokitae, was completed in March 2014 and pressed into service in June 2014. Construction of the third, Chimacum, began in fall 2014.

Vigor Fab to Build San Francisco Fireboat

By Mark Edward Nero

Vigor Industrial subsidiary Vigor Fab has been awarded a contract to build a fireboat for the San Francisco Fire Department. Construction of the 88-foot by 25-foot by 14-foot vessel is expected to begin this fall in Seattle.

“We look forward to working with Vigor on this project and also to the day the new boat will be on the water protecting the people of San Francisco,” Assistant Deputy Chief Kyle Merkins of the San Francisco Fire Department’s Division of Homeland Security said.

The fireboat, designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, is expected to have a top speed of 11.5 knots in full load condition and accommodate up to three crew members and four firefighters.

Its engines are EPA Tier III certified Cummins QSK19-M, which have a maximum horsepower of 750 BHP at 1,800 rpm, while its firefighting system will consist of six Stang fire monitors, according to Vigor, which will be supplied with water and foam from three 6,000-gpm fire pumps.

“We’ve been aggressively ramping up our ability to fabricate complex vessels,” Bryan Nichols, Vigor Fab’s sales director said. "This project is an excellent opportunity to put that preparation into action for our customer.”

The fireboat is scheduled to be delivered to the SF Fire Dept. by fall 2015.

Vigor Delivers 144-Car Ferry

By Mark Edward Nero

Builder/contractor Vigor Fab delivered the Tokitae, the state’s newest ferry, to Washington State Ferry officials in early June.

The $144 million Tokitae is the first of three 144-car ferries currently planned, and is expected to enter service this summer on the Clinton-Mukilteo route. The second vessel, the Samish, is currently under construction at Vigor with delivery planned for early 2015. State lawmakers have provided funding for a third ferry, and construction is expected to begin in late 2014.

“Vigor Fab built a top-notch, first-in-class vessel on budget and on time to serve WSF’s peak summer season,” Vigor Fab Senior Vice President Joe Corvelli said. Vigor Fab is Vigor Industrial’s ship building unit. “The Tokitae is the result of all the skill, hard work and dedication our shipbuilding teams bring to the job. These workers have built a vessel ready to serve the people of Washington for the next 60 years.”

The vessel’s name, Tokitae,  comes from a Coast Salish dialect, and means ‘nice day, pretty colors.’

“We have a longstanding, productive partnership in new vessel construction with Vigor,” Capt. George A. Capacci, interim assistant secretary in charge of WSF, said. “Vigor and their subcontractors have delivered a good product that will serve our customers for decades to come.”

With three new 64-car ferries operating, and the first of three new 144-car ferries joining the fleet, the average age of WSF’s vessels is expected to drop from 38 years to about 31, according to Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson.

“This new vessel brings us closer to increased service reliability, while meeting the needs of taxpayers and our customers,” Peterson said.

Vigor Christens Olympic-Class Ferry

By Mark Edward Nero

State elected, transportation and manufacturing leaders were on hand March 20 for the christening of Washington State’s first 144-car Olympic Class ferry, the M/V Tokitae, at Vigor Industrial’s shipyard in Seattle.

Washington Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson served as the ship’s sponsor and broke a bottle to christen the new ferry before a crowd of more than 200.

“This is more than just a ferry,” Vigor Industrial CEO Frank Foti said at the christening. “The vessel is a vital economic, social and transportation link to the ferry communities across Puget Sound.”

The M/V Tokitae is the first of three 144-car ferries planned to replace the state’s aging Evergreen State-class 87-car ferries, all of which are about 60 years old. The second 144-car ferry, the M/V Samish, is under construction now at Vigor Industrial.

Following sea trials and crew training, the M/V Tokitae is expected to enter service on the Mukilteo-Clinton route in June. The M/V Samish is expected to serve the San Juan Islands beginning early 2015.

Washington lawmakers also approved funding for a third 144-car ferry during the recently completed legislative session. The still unnamed third ferry is expected to be built by Vigor, and likely serve the Seattle-Bremerton route.

“These vessels we’re putting in (service), one right after the other, will make sure that our reliability for our customers is there,” Peterson said before christening the vessel. She added that the new boats will also save costs in the long run compared to keeping old vessels in service.

Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee, said that legislators committed to build new ferries both to replace the state’s aging ferry fleet and to build those vessels in Washington.

“Every shipbuilding community in the state is now competitive and doing work,” Clibborn said.

According to Vigor Fab, the Vigor subsidiary building the ferries, construction of the M/V Tokitae provided 500 jobs at Vigor and its subcontractors, which included Nichols Brothers on Whidbey Island, Jesse Engineering in Tacoma and Eltech Electric and Performance Contracting Group in Seattle. Those 500 jobs comprise about one million hours of work on the M/V Tokitae, Vigor Fab Senior Vice President Joe Corvelli said.

The M/V Tokitae is 362.5 feet long, has a beam of 83 feet and a draft of 24.5 feet. Its capacity is 1,500 passengers and 144 vehicles.

Vigor Wins Tank Barge Construction Contract

By Mark Edward Nero

Vigor Fab, the industrial fabrication and new-build division of Vigor Industrial, has been awarded a contract to build two 83,000-barrel tank barges for Harley Marine Services.

Construction is expected to begin this month at Vigor’s 60-acre shipyard in Portland, which has an 800-foot buildway, a 600-ton gantry crane and 360,000 square feet of covered fabrication areas.

The 422-foot by 76-foot by 27-foot tank barges were designed by Elliott Bay Design Group and are to be among the largest vessels constructed for Harley Marine’s fleet. Vigor also built the Sixty-Five Roses tank barge, which is about the same size as the new barges and currently the largest vessel in Harley’s Portland fleet.

“These vessels will be the ninth and tenth we’ve built for Harley Marine,” Vigor Sales and Marketing Manager Bryan Nichols said. “We’re glad we could earn this opportunity to help Harley expand their fleet. There’s no higher compliment than repeat business.”

Keith Barnes, Harley Marine’s Director of Petroleum Barge Operations, said Vigor has been “an excellent partner” in barge building over the years.

“They consistently provide the quality craftsmanship we depend on to serve our customers,” he said.

The first tank barge is scheduled for delivery in spring 2015, according to Vigor, with the second barge set for delivery in the summer of 2015.