The Maritime Administration has approved in principle an application by Trailer Marine Transport Corporation, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation, San Francisco, for Title XI financing to aid in construction of five deck-cargo barges. The barges measure 400 feet in length, have a beam of 99 feet 6 inches, and a draft of 25 feet. They are intended for use primarily in the U.S. West Coast and Alaska trade.
Two barges are being built at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, and three are being built by FMC Corporation, Portland, Ore. Two have already been delivered, the others are scheduled to be delivered by mid-1981. The Title XI guarantee covers $23,162,000, or 87 1/2 percent of the estimated cost of $26,471,945.