The keel for Hull 729 was laid recently at Bay Shipbuilding Corporation (BSC), Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The oceangoing bulk cargo barge is being built for Universal American Barge Corporation, Greenwich, Conn. This will be the first vessel built for Universal American by BSC.
The 550-foot by 78-foot tug notch barge will be used as a bulk cargo carrier handling coal and other bulk cargoes. Cargo capacity will be 33,000 short tons of coal. The stern will be fitted with a deep notch to accommodate a tug of 7,200 bhp. Bay Shipbuilding has responsibility for vessel design, and will deliver the barge to Universal American Barge Corporation in August 1981.
Attending the ceremony were the owners and their representative and design agent, representatives of the American Bureau of Shipping and U.S. Coast Guard, and Bay Shipbuilding management personnel. This will be one of five oceangoing tug notch barges recently built or contracted by Bay Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
Among those present at recent keel-laying at Bay Shipbuilding were (L to R): Comdr. L. Murdock, USCG; R. Miller, vice president, Engineering, BSC; George R. Knight Jr., J.J. McMullen Associates; Lt. Comdr. F. Owens, USCG; F. Kolbeck, manager-contracts, BSC; W. Shattuck, owner; K. Meyer, owner; A. Zuehlke, president, BSC; J. Notter, owner; H. Taylor, ABS; R. Hynds, owner's representative; G. Geiger, vice president and general manager, BSC; and R. Aiken, operations manager, BSC.