2016 Sales and Charters

Marcon International is pleased to report nineteen sales and charters concluded in 2016. Several additional sales are pending. Three 5,000+ HP twin screw and ASD tugs continue to be fixed on previously arranged long-term charters in the U.S. and Latin America.

2016's last sale was the second sale of the 7,200HP tug "Jimmy Smith" (ex-Gulf Commander), this time to private U.S. West Coast buyers. The 150.0' x 40.1' x 22.0' depth / 20.2' loaded draft, twin screw "Jimmy Smith" was built in 1976 by Equitable Shipyards, Inc. of Madisonville, Louisiana to ABS +A1, Towing Service, Ice Class C, +AMS class as Hull 1667, the "Gulf Commander". She was one of two sister offshore anchor-handling tugs built for Gulf Mississippi Marine, which later became Gulf Fleet Marine of Houston, Texas in 1978 and Zapata Gulf Marine Service in 1985. Tidewater, Inc. acquired the tug in their 1992 acquisition of Zapata Gulf. In 2002, Marcon brokered the sale of the "Gulf Commander" from Tidewater to Honolulu-based Smith Maritime / Hawaiian Inter-island Towing and tug was renamed "Jimmy Smith" after the company's founder. After being mobilized from the Gulf Coast and completing an extensive shipyard maintenance and repair period, the tug supported Smith Maritime's inter-island petroleum trade and salvage operations. K-Sea Transportation of New Jersey inherited the "Jimmy Smith" in 2007 when they acquired Smith Maritime. Four years later Kirby Corporation of Houston, Texas completed acquisition of K-Sea Transportation Partners and their fleet of 58 tank barges and 63 tugs including the "Jimmy Smith". The raised foc'stle bow tug is powered by twin EMD 20-645E7A diesels with Reintjes WAV 4800 5:1 gears and 144" x 144" 4-blade fixed pitch props on 12" shafts in kort nozzles, plus is fitted with a 535HP bow thruster to enhance maneuverability. She has a bollard of 103 short tons and free running speed of abt. 11-13kn on 220-330gph. Her 221,400g fuel capacity give the tug a range of abt. 11,070nm at 11kn. Towing gear consists of an Intercon DD 250 double drum side-by-side tow winch with a wire capacity of abt. 4,000' and 2,000' of 2" wire, stern roller and Intercon tow pins. "Jimmy Smith" was laid up in fresh water at the time of the sale. Marcon International, Inc. was the sole broker in both sales of the "Jimmy Smith". This is the ninth tug, totaling 26,490HP, sold in 2016.

Marcon is pleased to report the seventh and eighth tug sales of the year, with the deliveries of the 4,300HP, tugs "Colleen McAllister" (ex-Ellena Hicks, Hull 685) and "Katie G. McAllister" (ex-Libby Black, Hull 671) to new Owners Port City Marine Services of Muskegon, Michigan. The 124.0' x 33.1' x 19.9' depth / 18.0' loaded draft tugs were built in 1967 and 1966 respectively by Gulfport Shipbuilding Corp. of Port Arthur, Texas for Gulf Coast Transit Company, subsidiary of TECO Transport & Trade, of Tampa, Florida and mated up with the 420' x 80', 17,193dwt, ocean dry bulk barges "Thelma Collins" and "Barbara Vaught", both of which have since been scrapped. McAllister Towing & Transportation of New York purchased both tugs from TECO Transport in 2003. The "Colleen McAllister" and "Katie G. McAllister" are fitted with raised foc'stle bows and elevated pilothouses with 45-47' heights of eye and powered by twin EMD 12-645E5s with Falk 4.27:1 gears and fixed pitch open props. Towing gear consists of Markey TYS 36 single drum, 2-speed tow winches with a capacity of 2,200' of 2.25" wire. Tugs are classed ABS +A1, Towing Service, +AMS, Unrestricted Service. Port City Marine left New York City for Muskegon with the "Colleen McAllister" under tow of the "Katie G. McAllister". Estimated time of arrival is just prior to Christmas, depending on weather and St. Lawrence Seaway traffic. New owners intend to outfit both tugs with Bludworth AT/B connection systems and utilize them in a similar capacity to their "Prentiss Brown" and "Bradshaw McKee". Marcon brokered to Port City the 4,300HP sister-tug "Prentiss Brown" (ex- Michaela McAllister, Betty Culbreath) in 2008 and the 4,300BHP "Bradshaw McKee" (ex-Susan W. Hannah, Kings Challenger, IMT No. 1) in 2009 and has handled numerous sales & purchases over the years for McAllister.

Crowley Marine Services of Seattle, Washington has sold their 205.0' x 90.0' x 15.0' depth former ice-strengthened, icebreaker / cargo barge "Arctic Endeavor" to Tagiuk LLC. The 3,029mtdw barge was built in 1982 by Gunderson Bros. of Portland, Oregon to support resupply sailings to ports in the Arctic while being pushed by two "Point-Class" tugs. The barge was converted in 1999 by Duwamish Shipyard to an ABS +A1, ice classed, double-hull oil response barge for use in the Beaufort Sea, northeast of Deadhorse, Alaska. "Arctic Endeavor" was laid up in Puget Sound at the time of the sale. New owners are renaming the unit "Tagiuk Provider" and promptly returning her to Alaska from whence she came. Marcon has brokered over 100 sales and purchase on behalf of Crowley since our 1986 sale of their 132' x 32' x 12' supply boat "Gulf Mariner".

Guaran Feeder S.A. of Asuncion, Paraguay has purchased the 3,000HP tug "Tiong Woon Ocean 16" (ex- Uni Haul Ina) from TW (Sabah) Pte. Ltd. of Singapore. The 31.00m x 9.02m x 4.52m depth / 3.70m draft, Conan Wu design tug was originally built in 2005 by PT Nanindah Mutiara Shipyard / Labroy Shipbuilding & Eng. Pte. Ltd. in Batam, Indonesia as Hull T131 for Uni-Haul Lines / Emas Offshore. She was acquired by Tiong Woon Marine shortly thereafter. Tug is powered by twin 1,119kW CAT 3512B-DITAs developing a total of 3,000BHP at 1,600RPM, Twin Disc MG 5506 6.0:1 gears and fixed pitch props in kort nozzles. This gives the vessel a bollard pull of abt. 40 tonnes, speed of abt. 8-10kn and endurance of 22 days continuous sailing. Towing gear consists of a 100T brake electric / hydraulic double drum tow winch with a line pull of 10mt @ 10m/min and wire capacity for 600m 42mm wire. Tug was actively classed LR +100A1 Tug, +LMC with Special Survey not due until 2020. Vessel was in good condition at the time of sale and reportedly had a good track record in Southeast Asia. The tug, now under RINA class and renamed "GF Tacuari", is sailing from Singapore to Montevideo, Uruguay where in November she will join her sister-tug "GF Humaita" (ex- Tiong Woon Ocean 15, Uni Haul Ruth) purchased in 2013. Marcon handled the sales and purchases of both tugs as sole broker plus previously fixed the long term charter of an ocean deck barge for Sellers.

Full 2016 Sales report is available here: 2016 Sales Report.pdf