L&L Marine Transportation has expanded its fleet with a new 20-m towboat to increase liquid transportation along the US Gulf coast
The Harvey, Louisiana-based owner has started operating Amelia Ray after taking delivery from Rodriquez Shipbuilding at the end of Q2 2020. It is running petrochemical products along the coast and inland waterways between Houston, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This vessel was designed by Entech as a twin-screw towboat. Amelia Ray is powered by a pair of Mitsubishi S6R2 diesel engines driving Kahlenberg screws through Twin Disc MGX5321 reduction gears.
In its engineroom are two 60-kW Cummins generators providing power to a Hydra Force electric-over-hydraulic steering system.
Amelia Ray was specified with a Thordon propulsion package at the vessel design stage. This includes a full range of Thordon oil-free and grease-free bearings designed to reduce lost charter days.
It has RiverTough tailshaft bearings, shaft liners, TG100 seals, ThorPlas-Blue rudder bearings, ThorPlas-Blue self-aligning bearings and SXL thrust washers.
L&L Marine owner Lee LeBoeuf said all five vessels in the fleet operate with Thordon bearings due to the “significant operational savings” experienced with the earlier installations. “We initially replaced all our rubber tailshaft bearings with Thordon’s RiverTough bearings and shaft liners and found we were able to extend drydocking intervals from three to eight years,” said Mr LeBoeuf.
“We then started retrofitting ThorPlas-Blue bearings in the rudder stocks and installing TG100 seals, which reduced operational costs even further as there is less vessel downtime and maintenance,” he added.
L&L Marine should make annual operational savings of US$15,000 from using Thorden’s equipment, although they increase capital expenditure on a newbuilding.
“Compared to conventional propulsion and tailshaft bearings, which require regular maintenance, replacement and frequent drydocking, the Thordon system results in threefold reduction in operational costs,” said Mr LeBoeuf.
“This means we are more attractive to our customers, more dependable, and more reliable. We can better plan drydock schedules in line with the operational needs of our customers,” he said.
L&L Marine has an option on an additional vessel from Bayou la Batre-based Rodriquez Shipbuilding.
Mr LeBoeuf said the company is waiting to see whether markets will rebound after the Covid-19 pandemic before deciding whether to take that option.
Amelia Ray has tank capacity to transport 68.1 m3 of petrochemicals, 18.6 m3 of potable water and 1.9 m3 of lube oil.
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