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Eastern Shipbuilding Group has announced the delivery of the Harvey Supporter, the first of three 292-foot Tiger Shark Class Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) for marine transportation company Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC.

The vessel is a DP II SOLAS-classed AC diesel-electric, twin Z-drive OSV with a length of 292 feet, a beam of 64 feet and a depth of 24 feet 6 inches. Power and propulsion systems, controls, automation, etc. were provided by system integrator, Converteam, Inc.

The vessel features four Cummins QSK60-DM 16-cylinder turbo-charged Tier II diesel generator engines that are rated 1825 kilowatts (Kw) at 1,800 revolutions per minute (rpm).

Main propulsion is provided by two Schottel SRP 2020 FP Z-drives with nozzles rated at 2,500 kW at 1,025 rev/min each for a total of 6,704 hp. Schottel also supplied two STT 4 fixed-pitch tunnel thrusters rated at 1,180 kW at 1,170 rev/min each with direct coupled electric motors. The vessel is capable of top speeds in excess of 12 knots.

Total below-deck tankage capacities of the OSV include 275,000 gallons of fuel, 636,976 gallons of ballast water, 19,500 bbl of liquid mud, 14,350 cubic feet of dry bulk mud, 1,700 barrels (bbl) of methanol and 17,191 gallons of potable water.

The Harvey Supporter is said to be the first OSV in the United States to be constructed to the rigid regulatory standards required for "ENVIRO+, Green Passport (GP)" certification by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), thus making it the most environmental friendly OSV in Gulf of Mexico. As such, the Harvey Supporter is in line with Harvey Gulf International Marine's "Going Green" commitment.

The ENVIRO+ notation means, among other things, that the vessel will comply with ISM and IMO requirements, have a trained environmental officer onboard at all times, implement required procedures to deal with ballast water, sewage and garbage management, keep a separate log of all relevant procedures and actions, with crew trained in those relevant procedures and have an approved contact with the marine casualty response center.

The Harvey Supporter and its sister vessels, the Harvey Hauler and Harvey Champion, were all designed by STX Marine Inc.

STX Marine Inc., with offices located in Vancouver and Houston, is a consulting naval architecture and marine engineering company established in 1983 and a leading designer of OSVs for the North American and international markets.

Eastern Shipbuilding is also constructing a 302-foot-long light construction vessel Harvey Deep Sea for Harvey Gulf International Marine. The ship will be ENVIRO, Green Passport (GP) certified and will be equipped with an active heave-compensated 165-tonne knuckle boom crane capable of lifting/setting 100 tonnes at depths up to 10,000 feet. The Harvey Deep Sea is scheduled for delivery in May 2013.

First LNG-fuelled US-flagged OSVs

Meanwhile, Harvey Gulf International Marine is also breaking new technological ground with the construction of the first two LNG fuelled, US-flagged OSVs. Those vessels, being built by New Orleans-based Trinity Offshore, are also designed by STX Marine Inc. and will be ABS classed.