398 January 2007

Innovative ATB From Entech & Associates

1 & 2 above and below. The Brice tug as it looked in early December. I
am told that the engines will go in next week and considerable work
has been done on the superstructure.  All photos by Alan Haig-Brown.

One of the more innovative vessels currently being built to a Frank Basile/Entech design is the ATB tug for Brice Construction of Fairbanks Alaska. The 84x36-foot tug will be coupled to a 248x54-foot barge using an Articouple system from Taisei Engineering of Japan (www.articouple.com). The Articouple-coupler is a two-point articulate connection the permits free pitching of the pusher relative to the barge. A model of the tug and barge was tank tested through to sea state 5 by Vison SciTec Inc. at their Ocean Engineering Centre in Vancouver B.C.  The tests resulted in slight modifications to the bow rake of the barge.

To achieve the desired ten-knot speed for the combination tug-barge with the required shallow 6.5-foot draft for river operations, three of Cummins' new Tier II complaint QSK19 M engines were selected. Each of the three engines will deliver 660 horsepower continuous duty to one of the three 63x54-inch props in Rice Speed Nozzles with triple rudders. For travel in open waters the 1980-hp tug, with a molded depth of 11.3 feet, will be capable of ballasting down to 8.9-feet.

Brice's rep at the yard, James Huffman Sr., has had a picture of the ATB
painted on the side of his van.

The tug is currently under construction at the Chiasson Welding facility in Larose, Louisiana, while the barge is being built at a yard in Houma. Delivery is anticipated in the spring of 2007. The owners' representative to the project is James Huffman Sr.

Cummins Marine QSK19 Marine Tier 2

Click to download specifications.

For further information please contact:

Douglas Chiasson
Chiasson Welding Service Inc.
116 West 35th. St.
Cut Off, LA 70345
Phone 985 798 5183
Fax: 985 798 5187
E-mail: cws@mobiletel.com

James B. Huffman Sr.
Brice Marine
1340 West Tunnel Bolevard, Suite 317
Houma, LA 70360
Phone: 907 978 3035
Fax:  907 868 6975
E-mail: bird63@ak.net

Joe Gregory
Territory Sales Manager
Cummins Mid-South, L.L.C.
110 East Airline Highway
Kenner, LA 70062
Phone 504 465 3404
Fax: 504 465 3408
Cell: 985 397 2252
E-mail: joe.gregory@cummins.com
Web: www.midsouth.cummins.com

F.J. Basile, P.E.
Entech & Associates Inc.
P.O. Box 1470
Houma, Louisiana 70361
Phone 985 868 5524
Fax:  985 857 9032
E-mail: frankb@entech-associates.com

Taisei Engineering Consultants, Inc.
Kodemmacho Building, 9-10,
Nihombashi-Kodemmacho, Chuo-ku,
Tokyo 103-0001, Japan
Telephone : 81-3-3667-6633
Telefax: 81-3-3667-6925
E-mail: articouple@taiseng.co.jp

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