Eymard Delivers Mv. Soaring Eagle To Colonial Towing
Colonial Towing Inc., the marine fuel subsidiary of Colonial Group, headquartered in Savannah, Ga., recently took delivery of a new towboat, mv. Soaring Eagle.
Colonial Group, one of the largest independent oil companies in the United States, is a family-owned entity consisting of a variety of subsidiaries involved with wholesale petroleum marketing, liquid and dry bulk terminal storage, fuel and lubricant distribution, marine bunkering and other related services across 34 states. When the company was founded in 1921 as the American Oil Company, it was Savannah’s first independent petroleum wholesaler. The company was acquired by Standard Oil Company of Indiana in 1933, and it re-emerged a year later as Colonial Group Inc. Leading the company today is President and CEO Christian Demere, the great grandson of founder Raymond Demere and son of Robert Demere Jr., current chairman and former president and CEO. The company employs more than 1,800 people.
The mv. Soaring Eagle was built by Eymard Marine Construction & Repair at its yard on the Harvey Canal, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. The Entech-designed vessel is a 1,600 hp., open-wheel, twin-screw towboat that measures 67.5 by 28 feet and draws 8 feet when fully loaded.
The Soaring Eagle departed New Orleans shortly after Christmas Day and headed east on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. With a lock on the Okeechobee Waterway closed to navigation, the crew aboard the mv. Soaring Eagle had to go through the Florida Keys and up the east coast of Florida, with a stop in Miami due to weather.
“We’re looking to get into Savannah Friday evening,” said Travis Moran, captain aboard the Soaring Eagle, in a January 8 phone interview. “The boat’s been running good. Eymard built a solid boat.”
The Soaring Eagle is the fourth vessel in Colonial Towing’s fleet. The vessel will primarily work between Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., pushing a new tank barge that Conrad Industries delivered to Colonial last year.
Colonial Group’s crest features an eagle with its wings spread. Building on the eagle symbolism, the company each year recognizes an employee who has played a significant role in shaping company culture and reinforcing company values.
“The boat is named in honor of the past and future recipients of the Robert H. Demere Jr. Soaring Eagle Award,” said Gary Gale, manager of marine fuels for Colonial Towing.
The towboat, besides its nameplates, features a metal soaring eagle affixed to the second cabin. Will Easton, a New Orleans graphic designer, designed the soaring eagle, which was produced by MPress Printing.
Soaring Eagle Specs
Capacities aboard the mv. Soaring Eagle are 18,400 gallons of fuel, 4,361 gallons of water, 435 gallons of lube and 277 gallons of gear oil.
The Soaring Eagle has four flanking rudders and two steering rudders. The main engines are two Cat C-32 Tier 3 units, each producing 800 hp., from Louisiana Cat. The engines turn Sound 68- by 57-inch wheels on 7-inch shafts with Duramax seals and bearings. Twin Disc MGX5321 gears from Sewart Supply provide a 5.96:1 reduction.
The engines are cooled by a Duracooler system. The mechanical-over-hydraulic steering system and engine alarms are from Hydra Force. The auxiliary equipment is powered by two John Deere 65 kw. generators.
Soaring Eagle’s wheelhouse affords the pilot an eyelevel of some 30 feet and is fully stocked with communication and navigation equipment from Wheelhouse Electronics, including two Furuno radars, a 12 kw. BB radar, two Furuno 6-foot antennas, two Nauticomp 19-inch marine monitors, a Furuno sounder system, a Furuno AIS system, three iCom VHF radio rear mics, three Shakespeare VHF antennas, a Standard hailer with intercom, a Rose Point ECS + Inland, an Airmar, 220WX weather station, a KVH TV1, satellite TVRO and a Furuno SC70 satellite compass.
The second deck contains rooms with four double-bunk berths and an adjoining bathroom between each pair. In the galley is an electric range, a side-by-side refrigerator and freezer, granite countertops and Spanish cedar cabinets. Deckhouse flooring features Flexcore vinyl and FRP paneling throughout.
One unusual feature, for an inland towboat at least, are the two 40-ton Patterson winches on the bow and two 20-ton Patterson winches on the stern required for towing on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The hull is protected by Schuyler fendering.
