Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, La., delivered the 102'x36'x11' twin-screw pushboat Ray S to Houston-based Enterprise Marine Services in late 2017. The boat was built at Conrad’s Amelia, La., facility and a christening took place yesterday at Enterprise’s Houma, La., location. This is the fourth boat Conrad has built for Enterprise.
“We wanted the versatility that this boat gives us as a 3,000 horsepower boat that can run on the river or intracoastal (waterway),” Jacob Brown, Enterprise’s director, marine maintenance, construction and shipyard operations, said in an interview following the christening. “Conrad is a quality shipyard that produces quality products at a quality price.”
Main propulsion comes from a pair of Caterpillar 3512C, Tier 3, diesels, producing 1,500 hp at 1,600 rpm each. The Cats are hooked up to HS Marine 4-bladed, stainless steel 88"x64" wheels through Twin Disc MGX- 5600 marine gears with 6:1 reduction ratios. “Cat is just a very reliable piece of equipment,” said Brown.
With a 9' operational draft, the pushboat has a 35'2" line of sight and an air draft of 43'6". There are accommodations for eight crewmembers. Ship’s service power comes from pair of Kohler generators powered by John Deere diesels, sparking 99 kW of electricity each.
Tankage includes 56,000 gals. of fuel; 700 gals. lube oil; 350 gals. gear oil; 350 gals. hydraulic oil; and 18,000 gals. potable water.
“This boat was built to Subchapter M requirements,” said Brown. “We put our fleet through a rigorous maintenance program back in 2010, so we’ve been monitoring Subchapter M from the front side of it. Once the Coast Guard starts issuing COIs, we don’t expect any problems.”
The boat was named for Ray P. Sick, who retired from Enterprise in 2016, after 30 years with the company. Sick was a key contributor in the early transition and cultural development of the Houma facility and the shoreside and marine employees who supported it. “He is just a one-of-a-kind guy,” said Brown. “Cool under pressure. He was once an air traffic controller and he told me, ‘I use to have 300 planes in the air at once, all heading for the same airport, so five towboats heading for the same location is not as intimidating.’”
