January 1965
• Shaping up at Dravo Corp.’s Pittsburgh-based Neville Island boatyard is the hull for one of two 4,000-hp class diesel towboats being built for Ohio Barge Line Inc., Dravosburg, Pa., one of the largest movers of iron and steel on the inland waterways. The new boats, which will measure 168'x40'x11', are scheduled to go into service early next spring and represent the first step in replacement of Ohio Barge Line's propeller-driven steam towboats.
• One of the most interesting new work vessels due to be constructed in 1965 is the Arctic Dawn, which is scheduled in mid-June to inaugurate a unique new tourist-type passenger service on the Mackenzie River. The vessel will measure 260'x45'x8'9" with a draft of 30". The boat will measure approximately 4,000 gt and have a displacement of 800 tons.
January 1975
• There's a new Theriot boat on station in the North Sea. It’s the Cecile B, a 135' seagoing tug constructed by Main Iron Works, Houma, La., and now based in Yarmouth, England. The new boat is the second of four boats constructed by Main Iron for Nolty J. Theriot Inc., New Orleans. The Cecile B has a propulsion system equal to its demanding duties. The two engines are 16-cylinder EMD 16-645E5s. Each of these produces 2,875 hp at 900 rpm.
• It might have been gloomy on the outside when they dedicated the new $700,000 Herbert Materials Marine Terminal in Nashville, Tenn., in October, but the several hundred guests on hand had no room to complain since the ceremonies included a barbeque and a cocktail party. Along with the terminal ceremonies, there was a christening of the company’s new 50'x22'x7' harbor towboat built by Scully Brothers Boat Builders, Morgan City, La.
January 1985
• The creation of the world’s largest offshore service vessel fleet has been finalized with the completion of the merger to form Zapata Gulf Marine Corp., uniting the joint fleets of Zapata Marine, Gulf Fleet Marine, and Jackson Marine. Zapata Gulf has assets totaling approximately $600 million, including Zapata’s 76-vessel fleet, 169 vessels from Gulf Fleet, and 90 vessels from Jackson Marine.
• Eastern Marine Inc., Panama City, Fla., is currently building a 270'x68'x12' crane barge for the Rock Island, Ill. District of the U.S. Corps of Engineers. The barge will feature a 315-ton lifting capacity through its Manitowoc 36' diameter platform ringer crane and a 275-kW generator powered by a Detroit Diesel 8V-92T engine. The barge is scheduled for a March delivery.
