{"id":51657,"date":"2024-11-14T06:18:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T03:18:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/acbl-christens-americas-largest-most-powerful-towboat\/51657\/"},"modified":"2024-11-14T06:18:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T03:18:36","slug":"acbl-christens-americas-largest-most-powerful-towboat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/acbl-christens-americas-largest-most-powerful-towboat\/51657\/","title":{"rendered":"ACBL Christens America’s Largest, Most Powerful Towboat"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In a ceremony Tuesday night at the WorkBoat Show in New Orleans, American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) christened the largest, most powerful inland towboat in service on U.S. waterways. <\/p>\n

The new ACBL Mariner<\/em> is a 200-foot, 11,000-horsepower ship of a towboat. With twin Caterpillar C280-12 engines and ten-foot wheels, the Mariner <\/em>can push up to 56 barges at a time – more than any other towboat on the Mississippi. This is enough capacity for 75,000 tonnes of cargo, about the same as a seagoing Panamax bulker.<\/p>\n

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Fireworks at ACBL's christening ceremony (ACBL)<\/em><\/p>\n

"You can look at all the engineering drawings, but until you see it – see the size of the stacks on that vessel – it's incredible," said Mike Ellis, CEO of ACBL. <\/p>\n

The towboat is part of ACBL's plan to expand its network, and it will reduce fuel consumption and carbon footprint per tonne-mile by about 20 percent (when compared with a typical 6,000-horsepower boat). It can deballast to adjust its draft by up to 18 inches if needed during low water conditions, which can be a challenge during the summer months. Its design also improves crew comfort, thanks to amenities like single-bunk staterooms and a springloaded isolation system for the superstructure. <\/p>\n

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A post shared by American Commercial Barge Line (@acblbarge)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

"This vessel is the first of several that we hope to construct, as there is a need for vessels with this kind of horsepower in the market," said C&C Marine and Repair President Tony Cibilich last year. <\/p>\n

ACBL is one of the largest inland transport companies in the U.S., with a fleet of 130 towboats and 3,500 barges. Its 2,000 employees move about 50 million tonnes of wet and dry bulk cargo per year. <\/p>\n