Horizon Shipbuilding delivers 140 ft towboat

Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc., Bayou La Batre, Alabama, has launched the third of five 140 ft towboats for Mandeville, Louisiana, based Florida Marine Transporters (FMT) and delivered the second in the series

On February 28, Horizon launched the M/V Rusty Zeller, using its Bayou La Batre facility's 600 metric ton Travelift. On March 12 , FMT took delivery of the M/V Dennis J. Pasentine.

The towboats were designed by John Gilbert and are 140 ft long by 42 ft wide, with a 9 ft 6 in draft. They are four-decked and outfitted for service in areas with restrictions on overhead clearances and draft limitations.

The vessels are fitted with two EMD 710 12 cylinder engines generating a total of 6000 horsepower driving Sound propellers through Nico MGN 5023Z gearboxes. Two Cummins generators support ship's power. The steering system is provided by EMI.

M/V's Dennis J. Pasentine and Rusty Zeller comfortably accommodate a pilot, master, engineer, and six crewmembers.

Horizon Shipbuilding is also building a series of six 120 ft towboats for FMT, the first of the class scheduled for a Spring 2010 launch. The M/V Rusty Zeller is scheduled for delivery in June of 2010.