Wood Leases Mv. Erin M. Brooks From Maritime Partners
Wood Towing Company, the towing arm of the Wood family of companies—which includes fleeting, dredging, construction, aggregates and ship service—has leased the mv. Erin M. Brooks from Maritime Partners Inc.
The recent action ends the Avondale, La.-based company’s reliance on outside towing to deliver limestone from Paducah, Ky., to its facility in Harahan, La.
“We are vertically integrating,” said Caroline Zimmermann, Wood Towing’s land manager and a fourth-generation member of the Wood family. “Where we used to have limestone delivered to us, which is something we’ve done since our founding in 1958, we are now going to get it from Paducah ourselves, bring it down and unload it at our Harahan property.”
Wood Towing already owns nine vessels, Zimmermann said, adding, “This is our first vessel that will not be on long-term charter with a customer. It will be available for spot work and to transport barges anywhere between Paducah and New Orleans.”
Vessel Specs
The 84-foot, 2,600 hp. Erin M. Brooks is the fifth of 15 Entech-designed towboats that Belle Chasse, La.-based C&C Marine & Repair is building for Maritime Partners. Delivered last year, it is powered by a pair of Cummins QSK38-M1 main engines from Cummins Mid-South that drive Reintjes WAF 665 reduction gears from Karl Senner LLC. That drive package turns a pair of four-blade, 82- by 67-inch, fixed-pitch propellers from HS Marine Propulsion.
The steering, alarm and monitoring systems aboard the mv. Erin Brooks were furnished by Rio Marine & Hydraulic. Cummins Mid-South also supplied the Brooks’ two Cummins QSB7-DM 99 kw. generators. The new vessel features a softcore joiner system from Marine Interior Systems for enhanced sound damping and fire safety.
The Erin M. Brooks has tankage for 28,200 gallons of fuel and 6,600 gallons of potable water. Wheelhouse Electronics supplied the vessel’s navigation and communication equipment, which includes Furuno radar equipment, a Standard VHF radio, an Alphatron swing meter, a Young weather sensor and an Intellian satellite TV antenna. Also in the pilothouse is a Llebroc high back captain’s chair. Atop the pilothouse, the mv. Erin M. Brooks has a pair of Carlisle & Finch 1,000-watt searchlights, and on deck the vessel is equipped with a pair of Patterson 40-ton winches from Donovan Marine. The fleet deck is covered with fiberglass bar grating.
The vessel has two double staterooms and two single staterooms, plus two heads. The stainless-steel galley, featuring a wooden entertainment center with a granite top, has seating for six.
