Steiner Shipyard Delivers Towboat To John W. Stone

John W. Stone Oil Distributor, a family-owned New Orleans-based supplier of fuels, lubricants, specialty chemicals and fresh water for the offshore, coastal and inland markets, recently took delivery of a new inland towboat from Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Ala.

The mv. John W. Stone Jr. measures 76 feet by 35 feet with a 10-foot 8-inch depth. The Sterling Marine-designed vessel has 2,100 hp. courtesy of twin Caterpillar 3508 main engines from Louisiana CAT mated to Twin Disc 540 gearboxes from Sewart Supply.

Tony Odak, chief operating officer for Stone Oil, said the towboat is significant for the company in a number of ways.

“It’s the first inland boat that Johnny Stone has ever built,” Odak said, referring to Stone Oil owner John. W. Stone Jr. “We’ve built offshore boats. We’ve built inland barges and offshore barges and boats, but this is the first time Johnny’s ever built an inland towboat.”

The mv. John W. Stone Jr. is the first of two vessels Steiner Shipyard is building for Stone Oil, with the second expected toward the end of January.

“There will be others, hopefully, in the mix that we’re going to announce shortly,” he said.

The new vessels will serve a dual purpose of adding horsepower while also lowering the average age of Stone Oil’s fleet.

The John W. Stone Jr. and the forthcoming boat from Steiner Shipyard will bring the Stone Oil fleet up to 11 inland towboats and 47 inland barges. The company also operates three offshore units, including the Great Expectations (an offshore tanker), the Stone Navigator (an offshore barge) and the Stone Explorer (a tug mated to the Navigator).

Another noteworthy aspect of the mv. John W. Stone Jr. is its name.

“We named it after Johnny,” Odak said. “Johnny Junior, the owner of the company, has never had a boat named after him.”

The mv. John W. Stone, a mainstay of the Stone Oil fleet, is named after John W. Stone Sr., founder of the company. John W. Stone Jr., now in his 80s, and his son, John W. Stone III, continue to lead the company.

“Johnny is a very modest man,” Odak said. “I think he was reluctant to have it named after him. And while he’s not retiring or getting out of the business, we thought it was appropriate that he have a boat named after him.”

Odak said, internally at least, his team is referring to the elder vessel as the “John W.,” while the new boat is the “Junior.”

Vessel Specs

The mv. John W. Stone Jr. features Duramax bearings, Simplex seals and 76-inch by 68-inch Kahlenberg propellers. Ship service power comes from a pair of John Deere 99 kw. generators. Keel coolers are by Fernstrum, and Eagle Control Systems supplied the vessel’s engine alarms. The steering system is by Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics.

Wheelhouse Electronics provided the electronics and communications equipment aboard the Junior. Donovan Marine supplied the vessel’s 65-ton Patterson deck winches and the wastewater treatment system, and fendering is by Schuyler. Kern Martin supplied the flooring. Dry Chemical Cart provided the vessel’s fire safety equipment.

The mv. John W. Stone Jr. offers accommodations for a crew of eight spread across four staterooms, two full bathrooms and a half bath.

The Junior has tankage for 30,000 gallons of fuel, 10,000 gallons of water, three 800-gallon oil tanks and 29,200 gallons of ballast.

Odak said the John W. Stone Jr. will primarily work on the Lower Mississippi River between Baton Rouge, La., and the mouth of the river.