Devall Towing Puts New Boat, Barges Into Service
Devall Towing & Boat Service of Hackberry LLC has taken delivery of a new towboat from Southwest Shipyard and new barges from Conrad Orange Shipyard. The boat, the mv. Velle Devall, is the second of four vessels from Southwest Shipyard. The first, the Ryder James Devall, was delivered earlier this year. The company expects to take delivery of the Anna Francis this winter and the Kathryn Louise in mid-2020.
Measuring 64 by 27 feet with a 10-foot draft, the 1,500 hp. newbuild is powered by Tier 3 Cummins QSK-19 engines supplied by family-owned Devall Diesel Service. The engines turn Sound 76- by 56-inch propellers through Sewart-supplied Twin Disc MG5222 gears at a reduction ratio of 7:1. Crumpler’s Machine Shop made the 6-inch Aqua Met shafts. The shaft seals are from Kobelco.
The mechanical-over-electronic steering system was designed and installed by Custom Hydraulics Components. Two 65 kw. John Deere generators were supplied by Devall Diesel. They and the main engines are cooled by fresh water circulated through keel coolers from East Park Radiator.
Built within the hull are reservoirs for approximately 10,000 gallons of fuel, 5,000 gallons of potable water and 600 gallons of lube oil. Engine alarms were furnished by Rio Marine. Fire prevention is a product of Hiller.
Comfortable quarters, consisting of four bunkrooms and two full baths insulated with three inches of mineral wool, are provided for a crew of six. Interior paneling is FRP with half-inch plywood backing. Cabinets are birch plywood and solid red oak, which is also used in interior trim and joiner doors. Dale’s Welding provided the aluminum exterior doors, windows and pilothouse windows. The galley countertops and pilothouse dash console are granite.
The pilothouse offers a 30-foot eyelevel and is equipped with a complete Furuno electronics package furnished by D&G Electronics. Deck equipment includes two 40-ton Nabrico winches.
The Velle Devall was designed by Advanced Fabricating and built at the Brady Island extension of Southwest Shipyard in Houston under the direction of Maurice Leblanc.
The new towboat is named for the daughter of Alfred Devall, the company’s logistics manager. She is the granddaughter of Mike Devall, president of Devall Towing. Father Arvind Minz, HGN, officiated the ceremony, blessing the vessel and its captain, Capt. Darrel Ortego, in the presence of its namesake, Velle, and her father, Alfred.
The boat will work mostly on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway towing petrochemicals. Devall’s fleet now numbers 37 boats and 98 owned barges. Devall operates some 140 barges total.
New Barges Have Unique Design, Tier 4 Engines
Devall Towing & Boat Service also took delivery of two new barges from Conrad Orange (Texas) Shipyard, with a third to be delivered in September. The barges are all 25,000-barrel, double-skin liquid tank barges measuring 250 by 54 by 12.5 feet.
Conrad worked in close collaboration with Devall to develop the new barge design, based on Devall’s operational needs and end-customer requirements, the company said. The new design features the machinery up front, at the bow of the barge, rather than at the stern.
Commenting on the new barge design, Johnny Conrad, Conrad Shipyard CEO said, “it is a testament to the relationship between Conrad and Devall, which is one of shared core values of safety, quality, integrity and service.”
Of particular note is the fact that the engines for the pumps on each barge are John Deere Tier 4-compliant engines, which means they meet or exceed the strictest diesel engine emissions standards. It is believed they are among the first Tier 4 engines to be installed on an inland barge. They were supplied by Devall Towing’s sister company, Devall Diesel Inc., which is located at Sulphur, La.
Tier 4 standards require emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx) to be reduced by 90 percent from Tier 1-3 standards. The barges service the INVISTA plant in Victoria, Texas, which makes chemicals, polymers, fabrics and fibers, and Devall is committed to assisting it in NOx reduction going forward, the company said.
Caption for lead photo: Towboat Velle Devall was built by Southwest Shipyard
Photos courtesy of Southwest Shipyard, Conrad Shipyard and Devall Towing
