Eastern Shipbuilding inks contract with Bisso Offshore for RApport 2400 Ship Handling Tug duo
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has signed a new contract with Bisso Offshore, LLC for the construction of two Robert Allan Ltd. RApport 2400 Ship Handing Tugs with escort capability, the Group said in a media release.
Bisso Offshore, LLC is one of Eastern’s long term customers and has taken delivery of four (4) previous modern Z-drive tugs from Eastern since 2006 (JOSEPHINE ANNE, BEVERLY B., ELIZABETH B and the ARCHIE T. HIGGINS). These two new Robert Allan RApport 2400 design tugs have been customized by the designer and owner to provide specific operational features while also meeting new EPA Tier 4 and USCG Sub-M requirements.
Joey D’Isernia, President of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, said: “We are honored to be working with our friends at E.N. Bisso once again on this exciting project. E.N. Bisso is a valued repeat customer for us and we appreciate being selected to build this latest class of ship handling tugs. We look forward to working with the E.N. Bisso team on another successful project.”
The RApport 2400 Ship Handling Tugs features the following characteristics:
Dimensions (Molded): 80’-0 x 38’-0 x 13’-2”
Fuel Oil: 28,000 USG
DEF/Urea: (2) x 850 USG
Potable Water: 8,750 USG
Total Horsepower: (2) x 2,549 HP @ 1,800 RPM
Bollard Pull (Predicted): 63 Metric Tons
Main Engines: (2) LA CAT, Caterpillar 3512E Tier 4 EPA/IMO III marine propulsion diesel engines
Main Propulsion: (2) Rolls Royce US205 P20 Z-Drives
Main Generators: (2) Kennedy Engines Co. John Deere 4045AFM85
Tier 3 EPA certified Marine Auxiliary Diesel
Generator Set, each rated at 99kW @ 1,800 RPM
Firefighting: (1) Counterfire ES-125-400, 1,500 gpm at 100 psi, diesel engine driven and 4” Stang remote controlled fire monitor
Hawser Winch: (1) Markey Machinery, Inc. Model DEPCF-42 HS, Single Drum 40HP, Render/Recovery, Line Tension Display, Electric Escort Hawser Winch
Capstan: (1) Markey Machinery, Inc. CEPB-40 5HP Bitt Capstan
Tow Hook: (1) Washington Chain & Supply 90 Ton SWL tow hook, electric-air remote control, manual or remote release.
Regulatory: USCG Sub-M, COI, Designed and Built to ABS Class but not classed under ABS Flag: United States of America
Bisso Offshore, a division of E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc. currently has a tug fleet of 18 vessels featuring a blend of seven modern tractor-class/equivalent tugs along with conventional twin screw tugs. Whatever the challenges that may be presented by the mighty Mississippi River, the Port of Gulfport, MS or Port Canaveral, FL, E.N. Bisso has the optimal equipment to service the varied needs of the diverse mix of cargo vessels that call in the country’s largest port complex as well as other ports. E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc. is proudly owned by the fifth generation family descendants of Captain Joseph Bisso who innovatively founded the company by launching a ferry service to row people across the Mississippi River in Downtown New Orleans. E.N. Bisso can trace these early days of the company’s activities back to 1880 and the oars in the company’s logo are a salute to its origins. This enterprise quickly expanded to employ the use of steam-powered ferries and tugs. The ferry business grew into a sizable venture and was eventually sold to the State of Louisiana. In 1946 the company was split up and Captain Edwin Napoleon Bisso formed his own company with 6 tugboats and 2 heavy-lift derricks, later naming it E.N. Bisso & Son. Since then the company has grown and evolved to its position today as a leading U.S. Gulf and East Coast provider of harbor tug and towing services
Robert Allan Ltd. is a firm of internationally-recognized Naval Architects in Vancouver, Canada. Since 1930, Robert Allan Ltd. has built a reputation for innovative designs for vessels of almost all types, from high-performance tugs to ferries to sophisticated research vessels. Robert Allan Ltd. is committed to providing the highest possible standards of professional marine design and engineering services to their valued clients, thereby creating innovative working vessels that embody efficiency, durability and performance. They are committed to making the vessels built to our designs as safe and efficient as possible for the crews that work on them, and for the people who own them.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group is a family held shipbuilding company located in Panama City, Florida since 1976 and has been a long-time employer in Bay County for over 40 years. Since 2008, Eastern has spent more than $75 million dollars upgrading and expanding its facilities and shipbuilding capabilities to continue expanding and meeting the needs of its Commercial and Government Customers.
Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. has three new construction and repair facilities engaged in new construction and repair of all types of steel and aluminum vessels including harbor/escort tugs, offshore tugs, offshore/platform supply vessels, ATB’s, multi-purpose construction vessels, research vessels, firefighting vessels, barges, dredges, ferries, passenger vessels, fishing vessels and inland towboats. Eastern maintains its role as one of the most diversified and innovative construction shipyards in the United States. Eastern Shipbuilding Group continues to remain a custom shipbuilder, delivering eleven vessels of various sizes and designs over the past eighteen (18) months.
