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Marine transportation firm Harley Marine Services is due to take delivery of the first of three vessels during the month of March.

Jensen Maritime, Crowley Maritime Corp.'s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering company, was responsilble for completing the designs of a 250' x 70' x 15' 8" deck barge and two new ASD tugs for Harley Marine.

The barge, named Iliuliuk Bay, will transport a wide variety of cargo between Dutch Harbor and Akutan, Alaska, with up to three runs per week. The tugs, Robert Franco and Ahbra Franco, will provide tanker escort and ship assist services along the U.S. West Coast.

The Iliuliuk Bay will house a 230-tonne lift capacity Manitowoc 4100 crawler crane. The vessel’s design features both D-rings to secure containers up to three high as well as eight lashing bars running fore and aft for other cargo such as heavy construction machinery or general equipment.

The two tugboats are based on the popular Valor tugboat design, but have been upgraded with Tier 3 Cat 3516C engines and Rolls-Royce US 255 Z-drives. The vessels still maintain the perks of the Valor, such as high horsepower in a compact package, a large fuel capacity for long trips, comfortable crew accommodations and a spacious engine room. The tugs will also feature an anchor windlass and chain locker, as well as a Markey TES-40 winch. Additionally, Jensen designed the pair of tugs with some of the most advanced safety features in the industry, including a pair of 900 GPM fire pumps and monitors, which will be powered from an on-board generator. Ice plating has also been added to the hulls to ensure safety while working in light ice conditions.

The Robert Franco and Ahbra Franco are now under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, of Freeland, Washington, and are expected to be delivered in March and July respectively.

The Iliuliuk Bay is also under construction by U.S. Fab, in Vigor’s Swan Island shipyard in Portland, Oregon. The barge is scheduled for delivery later this year.

"We are pleased to add three new workhorses to the Harley Marine fleet," said Jensen’s vice president Johan Sperling. "It has been a great pleasure for us to work so closely with our customers during the design and construction of these boats. We look forward to seeing them in action."

Bryan Nichols, sales manager at Vigor Industrial, said about the barge development: "Having the ability to collaborate with Jensen and Harley during the initial production design for this barge, will allow us to have maximum efficiency during construction. We were able to combine shipbuilding best practices with Jensen’s considerable design expertise and Harley’s requirements to finalize a cost effective, buildable design with quick turnaround."

Seatle-headquartered Harley Marine Services is a full service marine transportation company providing services along the United States West Coast, Alaska, New York/New Jersey Harbor and Gulf Coast including the transportation and storage of petroleum products, ship assist and escort, and the transportation of general cargo.