Two double-hull bunkering barges were completed recently by Nashville Bridge Company (NABRICO) of Nashville, Tenn. Built for John W. Stone Oil Distributor, Inc. of Harvey, La., they are 235 feet long with a beam of 35 feet and depth of 11 feet 11 inches.
Each of the barges is outfitted with six 500-gallon lube oil tanks and two 7,500-gallon potable water tanks. Total capacity for each is 12,100 barrels, or 508,200 gallons. They are fitted with separate pumping systems for No. 6 fuel oil, No. 2 diesel oil, lube oil, and potable water. In addition, each barge is fitted with a steam piping system for heating certain products.
The barges are certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for carriage of Grade A or lower petroleum products, and are classed A-1, Oil Barge, by the American Bureau of Shipping. They will be used to refuel ships and towboats in the New Orleans area.
NABRICO is a wholly owned subsidiary of The American Ship Building Company, Tampa, Fla. Headquartered in Nashville, the company has been in the marine field for more than 60 years, and is primarily concerned with the design, engineering, and construction of grain and coal barges, deck barges, liquid tank barges, cement barges, drydocks, and towboats. NABRICO is also a major supplier of marine deck hardware. The company, which has plants in Nashville and Ashland City, Tenn., pioneered in the design and building of much of the modern equipment used on rivers today.
Side-launching of one of two NABRICO-built bunkering barges produced this big splash. Barges will be used by John W. Stone Oil Distributor, Inc. to refuel ships and towboats in the New Orleans area.