Conrad Launches Drydock For Biblia

Conrad Shipyard of Morgan City, La., has launched a 500-ton-capacity floating drydock for Biblia Marine Towing & Transportation of Savannah, Ga. The drydock was designed by JMS Naval Architects.

Biblia owns and operates a fleet of tugs and barges, providing marine transportation, bed-leveling, agitation dredging and dragging services on the East Coast, Gulf Coast and Western Rivers of the United States. Biblia will use the drydock to service its own tugs and offer similar repair and maintenance services to other vessel owners in the area from its Savannah River facilities.

The new drydock, which replaces Biblia’s existing drydock, is 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and has a 6-foot-deep pontoon and 14-foot-high wing walls. The dock will be used primarily for hauling tugs with a maximum length of 120 feet and draft of 10 feet. The drydock design incorporates a shore power connection, onboard generator and individual pumps. One end of the drydock is raked to facilitate towing the dock.

JMS developed a complete engineering and design package including all structural design, stability and outfitting meeting the requirements of the ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Floating Dry Docks. Systems include the ballast system, seachest arrangement, electrical and pump and discharge piping. JMS also designed the power system, including generator arrangement, fuel tank arrangement and electrical and piping system one-lines.

The dock is partially funded by a  $1.3 million Small Shipyard Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Caption for photo: New 500-ton drydock was designed by JMS Naval Architects.