NEWS
Survey vessels USA completes
‘floating labs’ August is set to see the completion of two 21.3m twin screw aluminium vessels for the US Geological Survey (USGS), as part of a US$8.2million contract to upgrade its fleet with state-of-the-art ‘floating laboratories’. Construction has been underway since November 2010 at Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland, USA, and the order represents the yard’s first major contract for aluminium shipbuilding. The vessels are intended to be deployed
at the USGS’ Lake Erie Biological Station in Sandusky, Ohio and Lake Ontario Biological Station in Oswego, New York. The governmental agency opted for 5083 aluminium alloy for the vessels; according to Great Lakes assistant VP of engineering, Christopher Peifer, this material was selected for reasons related to draught, speed and weight. “Lake Erie is the shallowest of all the Great Lakes and minimising the vessel’s draught is crucial for access to certain regions,” Peifer explained. “The speed allows the owner to reduce transit time between sampling locations and the weight determines where the vessel can be pulled out of the water for the winter months.”
Each of the vessels will be powered by twin MTU 8V2000 engines, rated at 710kW apiece, with Twin Disc MG5202SC QuickShift gears, 127mm diameter Aqualoy 17 shafting and 1m Michigan Wheel nickel bronze aluminium (NiBrAl) propellers. The project has also seen Great Lakes Shipyard
invest in new welding equipment to deal with the initially unfamiliar
aluminium content
of the vessels. According to Joseph Craine, shipyard general manager: “The 5083 alloy has a high-tensile strength, so we were limited with what we could use on it.” Subsequently, the yard opted for a package of welding solutions from Lincoln Electric, including its Power Wave 355M, Power Feed 25M and Python Plus Push-Pull gun combined with Superglaze 5356 wire.
Launch and delivery AquaLink II hits
Long Beach, CA Seattle boatbuilder Kvichak Marine Industries has completed and delivered a 74-passenger catamaran water taxi to California-based ferry operator Catalina Express and partner Long Beach Transit (LBT), where she has been providing a shuttle service for tourists and commuters between the Long Beach downtown
The two-vessel USGS compact was the first time Great Lakes Shipyard had dealt with aluminium.
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Ship & Boat International July/August 2011
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