Senesco Marine of Quonset Point announced it has signed a contract with New Jersey based U.S. Shipping that will provide continuous work for the company over the next three years.
U.S. Shipping is the largest American Flagged petroleum/chemical carrier in the country.
The $40-plus million contract allows Senesco to build a 140,000 barrel double-hulled chemical Articulated Tug Barge (AT/B) with a tug that can double as a 158,000 barrel double-hulled petroleum AT/B’s. U.S. Shipping also has the option to build three more.
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“We are announcing to the industry that we are now focusing on state of the art AT/B’s,” said Senesco Marine CEO Gary Schuler at a press event on October 26.
The contract agreement provides enough work for Senesco to more than double its workforce from 200 to about 500 by November 2005.
Construction on the AT/B is expected to take about 14 months for the barge and another 12 for the tug. If the company stays on schedule, Senesco will begin cutting steel in December and deliver the AT/B early 2006.
U.S. Shipping is a leader in the tanker industry, operating six Integrated Tug and Barge vessels in the domestic oil trade and two parcel tankers.
The 48,000 ton vessels are equipped with state of the art technology and capable of carrying a variety of liquid petroleum and petro-chemical cargoes.
The AT/B will be U.S. Shipping’s first. The barge component of the AT/B will measure 512 feet long and the tug will measure 145 feet long, for a total of about 600 feet.
The naval architecture firm Guarino and Cox of New Orleans designed the AT/B.
Senesco has also established a strategic alliance with Luther Blount of Blount Boats in Warren to act as technical consultant on the tug portion of the project.
Blount Boats, Inc. is a full service shipyard specializing in boat design, engineering, craftsmanship, and repair, located on six acres of land along the Warren River.
