497 May 2008

Blessy: Building Bigger and Better

The M/V Charlie Melancon getting the finishing touches.

With nearly 50 towboats in their ever-growing fleet, the green and white Blessy colours have become a familiar sight pushing petro-barges in the US inland waterways. On Friday, May third, they Christened their latest vessel, the 116x34-foot M/V Charlie Melanson. Designed by Corning Towsent’s CT Marine the new towboat is a large step up on the company’s already very comfortable and progressive boats.

Built by Verret Shipyard and completely outfitted down to the linen, the accommodations are sumptuous. Crew’s quarters on the main deck feature color coordinated duvet covers in two man cabins with shared washroom facilities in which the towels carry the “B” Blessey monogram. On the second deck, the two captains’ cabins surpass even this with more pillows on the bed than most five-star hotels. But the vessel’s real showpiece is the owner’s cabin on the third deck featuring a rich hand-crafted wood with dark and light contrasting grain. The color contrasts has even allowed a built in table top checkers board. Wooden shutters for the windows and an electric fireplace round out the accommodations.

Bright engine room with Cummins KTA50 mains and Reintjes gears.

The huge wheelhouse features wood grain ceramic tile over a sound dampening complex that is repeated on most of the towboat’s decks. The navigation console departs from the basic inland river style to something more like the U-shape arrangement of a modern ship-docking tug. This allows for huge windows forward for excellent visibility onto and over the barge deck.

On the propulsion end, the boat is no less spectacular. A pair of big 1600 hp Cummins KTA50-M mains sit in a roomy engine room and are coupled to massive Reintjes WAF773 gears with 7.0871 reduction turning 86x87-inch propellers in nozzles. Verret’s Paul Taylor explains that as far as he knows the boat is unique on the rivers in having independent steering that will allow the operator to move the two sets of flanking rudders as well as the steering rudders independently of each other. Normally a bar connects the two sets of rudders so that they move in unison and this mode of operation can be reinstated with the touch of a button. If the boat is backing down and using the flanking rudders, that are set ahead of the props on either side of the shafts, they will automatically center when the gear is shifted to forward. The Siemens steering pump and system was supplied by Custom Hydraulics Components of Gretna Louisiana.

The fiddley has well designed air and filter systems to give lots of air to the turbos below. The intakes for these are sheltered under the eaves of the cabin.

A pair of Cummins-powered Newage Stamford 88 Kw generators provides electrical power for the Charlie Melanson. Tankage includes 50,000 gallons for fuel and 20,000 gallons for water as well as 500 gallons for lube oil.

Crew lounge.

Crew toilet with monogramed towels and soap dispenser.

One of two captains staterooms.

The owner's suit.

The finishing crew's pride in the new towboat is high.

The country style kitchen is roomy and homey.

All photos by Alan Haig-Brown courtesy of Cummins Marine.

Paul Taylor
Verret Shipyard
29120 Hwy 75,
Plaquemine, LA 70764
Phone: 225 659 2647
Cel: 225 933 0911

Mitch Jones
BlessRiver Oaks Rd. East
Harahan, LA 70123
Phone: 504 734 1156
Fax: 504 734 1195
E-mail: mjones@blessey.com

Al E, Heisler
Cummins Mid-South, Inc.
Kenner LA 70062
USA
Phone: 504 465 3406
Mobile: 504 343 8372
E-mail: al.heisler@cummins.com

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