River-class freighter

The River class is a type of bulk carrier designed for service on the Great Lakes. One ship of the class is due to enter service for the Interlake Steamship Company in 2022.

History

In April 2019, it was announced that Interlake had ordered a single River-class ship from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.[1] The vessel was the first new ship ordered by Interlake since 1981, and the first Great Lakes bulker built on the Great Lakes since 1983.[1] Construction began in August 2019, when the first steel was cut.[2] The ship was built in modular sections, the first of which were joined together at a ceremonial keel laying in June 2020.[3] At the event, Interlake announced that she would be named Mark W. Barker, with delivery scheduled for mid-2022.[3]

Design

The River class was designed by Interlake, Fincantieri Bay, and Bay Engineering, and measures 639 feet (195 m) long, with a beam of 78 feet (24 m) and a draft of 45 feet (14 m).[4] It has a deadweight tonnage of 28,000 DWT, with a unique cargo hold and hatch design that allows for the transport of both bulk raw materials and large individual cargo.[5] As a self-unloading ship, a bow-mounted conveyor system that is 76 metres (249 ft) long is installed for offloading of bulk materials.[5] Ship propulsion power is about 5,800 kilowatts (7,800 hp) from two diesel engines—EMD 710s on Mark W. Baker—and electrical power totals 3,440 kilowatts (4,610 hp) from a genset and a shaft-mounted generator on each main engine.[5] A single propeller gives the ship a service speed of about 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).[4]

References
  1. "Freighter to be built in Wisconsin shipyard will be first new U.S. flagged bulk carrier in 35 years". Milwaukee Business Journal. April 9, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  2. "Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding cuts steel on Great Lakes bulk carrier". Workboat. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  3. "Great Lakes bulker newbuild project marks a milestone". Marine Log. June 24, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  4. "Bay Shipbuilding to build Great Lakes bulk carrier". Workboat. April 9, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  5. "GREAT LAKES OPERATOR INVESTS LOCALLY". The Motorship. June 26, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
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