ATBs at Harley Marine

Thanks for that excellent post.

As far as 750’s go, I heard that the charters, oil majors, are disappointed with performance, especially speed and fuel consumption. Maybe that’s only BS; I don’t know. But those would be economic concerns for the charters. I heard that the crews were unhappy with vibration and mechanical issues. Disappointed charters, crew turnover, and mechanicals would be economic issues for the owners.

It’s telling that the owners have not announced any plans to build more 750’s, but they have announced plans to build more tankers.

[QUOTE=tugsailor;163279]Thanks for that excellent post.

As far as 750’s go, I heard that the charters, oil majors, are disappointed with performance, especially speed and fuel consumption. Maybe that’s only BS; I don’t know. But those would be economic concerns for the charters. I heard that the crews were unhappy with vibration and mechanical issues. Disappointed charters, crew turnover, and mechanicals would be economic issues for the owners.

It’s telling that the owners have not announced any plans to build more 750’s, but they have announced plans to build more tankers.[/QUOTE]

The 750 class ATB’s do vibrate under 50% pitch. Mechanical wise, they run similar to a ship and are pretty reliable. Due to emissions regulations, they now only burn MGO. Having sailed on one for over a year, they are not that bad. They are very simple engineering plants. They do ride well. The disappointment in speed and fuel consumption are true. These vessels exceeded the point of diminishing returns in terms of ATB size and efficiency. As for crews being unhappy, I rather enjoyed my time there. The equipment was good, pay was decent, and most importantly worked with some great people. For the future, I have been told don’t expect to see Crowley build any big ATB’s ever again. A 330,000 bbl tug and barge can’t compete with a 330,000 bbl equivalent tanker in terms of speed and fuel consumption. Feel free to message and ask any questions.

More ATB talk, Harley included.