FMT Shipyard & Repair Delivers The Mv. Gianna Hull

FMT Shipyard & Repair, the vessel construction and repair affiliate of Mandeville, La.-based Florida Marine Transporters, recently delivered the second in a series of five towboats it is building for Florida Marine. The first was the mv. Jesse D. Pasentine, a 120-foot, 4,000 hp. twin-screw towboat that hit the water last October.

Named the mv. Gianna Hull, the second towboat is an open-wheel vessel that measures 120 by 35 by 11.5 feet with a draft of 9 feet and a pilothouse eye level of 34 feet, identical to the Jesse D. Pasentine. Two Caterpillar 3512C Tier 3 main engines from Louisiana Cat provide 4,000 hp. through Twin Disc 5600DR reduction gears from Sewart Supply. The engines turn 100- by 69-inch, Sound propellers on 9.5-inch shafts with Wartsilla seals and Duramax bearings.

The Gianna Hull has tankage for up to 56,000 gallons of fuel, 12,000 gallons of potable water and 1,000 gallons of lube oil. Kennedy Engine supplied the vessel’s two John Deere 175 kw. generators. Engine Monitor furnished the vessel’s steering system and alarms. The engines are cooled by a Duraweld system from Eastpark Radiator.

The four-deck towboat has room for a crew of nine, with three single and three double bedrooms, six full baths and one half bath. The vessel features an expansive galley with adjoining dining room and a separate crew lounge. The deckhouse has mineral wool insulation throughout and Mascoat sound absorbing coatings in areas adjacent to machinery. Hiller Systems provided the Novec 1230 fixed fire safety system.

A full suite of electronics and communications equipment was installed by FMT’s in-house electronics and IT department. On deck are four 40-ton Patterson winches and a Schoellhorn-Albrecht capstan.

The mv. Gianna Hull was designed by Gilbert Associates of Boston, Mass., with construction engineering by Ship Architects Inc. of Daphne, Ala. It replaces a similarly named towboat that Florida Marine sold to Marathon Petroleum earlier this year.

The mv. Gianna Hull is named for Florida Marine owner Dennis Pasentine’s granddaughter. FMT Shipyard & Repair is currently working on the third and fourth vessels in the series.

Opened in 2009 to maintain Florida Marine’s fleet of towboats, FMT Shipyard & Repair has since evolved into building new boats. The shipyard builds and repairs vessels for both Florida Marine and third-party customers.

Caption for photo: The 4,000 hp. Gianna Hull is powered by twin Caterpillar 3512C diesels.