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February 2006

Hope Services Builds on Success

The towboat Rockfish alongside at the Hope Services yard.

General Motors might be having trouble selling cars but that is not the case at Hope Services where they build one after another of their popular Frank Basile-designed 72x30x10-foot pushboats. (see Cummins Hotips#90, 180, 197, 269) Even a double hook from two hurricanes only slowed construction at the Dulac Louisiana yard.

Preparing to install the stack on the towboat Rockfish.

Located near the shores of the Gulf of Mexico they found themselves on the west side of Katrina so that the 160 mph winds came from the northwest causing some damage, but since they were from the land side, no water. But then Rita came and they were on the eastern side of this circular storm so that the 120 mph winds tore up what Katrina had loosened and then a seven-foot surge of water flooded the shipyard. “My car would have been right under water,” reports manager Lou Parker.

But Parker and his crew had been able to get most of their equipment into elevated storage and he had taken himself and his car safely inland. The water surge did damage their big shipyard crane so that they were obliged to bring in a floating crane barge at considerable coast in order to launch their latest 72-foot pushboat, the Rockfish, for Maryland Marine of Houston Texas. Like their other boats of this class, a pair of Cummins KTA38 M0 engines will power the new vessel with each generating 850 hp at 1800 RPM. The engines turn into Twin Disc 540 gears with 6.14:1 reduction. The 73x56-inch four-blade stainless propellers are mounted on six-inch stainless shafts. A pair of Cummins 6B series powered 50 Kw generators meets electrical needs.

The Rockfish alongside with the floating crane brought in to launch her in the background.

Tankage on the vessel includes 20,000 gallons of fuel; 10,000 gallons of water and 500 gallons of lube oil. A pair of Nabrico electric-over-hydraulic system, 40-ton deck winches handle the 1.25-inch face wires. Hurricane damage through out the Gulf Coast has harmed many of Hope Services suppliers as well, “We use to get steel and plywood out of New Orleans,” says Parker, “But now we have to go to Memphis or Texas.”

The Cummins engines, however, are still supplied by Cummins Mid-South who have their facilities in Morgan City and Kenner in full operation. In spite of the hurricanes, delivery of the latest Hope Services pushboat was delayed only two months to mid-February 2006. Hope Services has three more of these 1700 hp pushboats in production and expected to launch at three-month intervals.

For more information or additional photos contact:

Lou Parker
Hope Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 957
Houma, LA 70361 U.S.A.
Phone: 985 563-7801
Fax: 985 563-4660
E-mail: hopeservices@direcway.com

For more information on Cummins Mid-South:
Calvin Klotz
Cummins Mid-South
Kenner, LA 70062 U.S.A.
Phone: 504 465-3406
Email: Calvin.B.Klotz@Cummins.com

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