MOBILE, ALABAMA – Crescent Towing and Blakeley BoatWorks are continuing their partnership with plans to begin construction of Hull 115, a new 6,000 HP tier 4 z-drive tugboat, at Blakeley BoatWorks in Mobile, Alabama to be added to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River ship assist operations upon completion.

This vessel will be the third in a series of 6,000 HP tugboats that Blakeley BoatWorks has constructed for Crescent Towing. The second vessel in the series, M/V Kentucky, will be delivered to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River operations late this summer.

“Our ongoing new build initiative, in partnership with Blakeley BoatWorks, emphasizes our commitment to providing our customers with the most powerful and technologically advanced equipment in the industry,” said Scott H. Cooper, President of Crescent Towing. “Following the delivery of Hull 115, we plan to continue this initiative long-term to further strengthen our fleet and best serve our customers.”

“Our team is always working relentlessly to provide the highest quality ship assist towing service in the United States,” said Keith Kettenring, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Crescent Towing. “Adding new 6,000 HP tier 4 z-drive tugboats to our fleet provides our team with more incredible tools to continue to offer the safest and most reliable towing services on the Mississippi River.”

The new escort towing vessel, to be named at a later date, was designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will be 92’ long and 38’ wide with a draft of 19’. The tugboat will be powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E tier 4 engines, each producing 3,004HP to power Kongsberg 255 fixed pitch azimuthing drives (z-drives).

“Blakeley BoatWorks is honored to continue our partnership with Crescent Towing to construct this series of 6,000 HP tugboats,” said Swathin Kannalath, Managing Director of Blakeley BoatWorks. “The opportunity to construct some of the most advanced tugboats operating on the Mississippi River is very exciting for our entire team.”

Since 1942, Crescent Towing has operated as one of the premier ship assist towing providers in the United States and today, operates on the Mississippi River and in the ports of Mobile, Alabama and Savannah, Georgia. Powered by 24 tugboats with up to 6,700 HP, Crescent Towing operates one of the largest and most technologically advanced ship assist fleets in the world. Crescent Towing is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Cooper Group. To learn more, visit: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/775f146b/aly3muPRyEGqSK-JMiLGag?u=http://www.crescenttowing.com/.

Situated on 26 acres in heart of the port of Mobile and with capacity to simultaneously service up to 15 towing vessels and barges, Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) is a full-service shipyard specializing in small vessel repair, barge repair, and new vessel construction. Equipped with a 1,900-ton floating dry dock, 660-ton travel lift, and four covered fabrication shops, BBW is the Gulf Coast’s premier towing vessel shipyard. BBW is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Cooper Group. To learn more, visit: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/4c4c968d/7f6YmEmJHUiJuYUz7eY6gA?u=http://www.blakeleyboatworks.com/.

The Cooper Group is anchored by one of America’s oldest and largest stevedoring and maritime firms. Established in 1905, The Cooper Group has operations on all three U.S. coasts and international operations in Mexico. The company maintains ownership in numerous satellite companies, including warehousing, terminal operations, tugboats, vessel mooring, push boats, barging, barge fleeting, floating terminals, logistics, forestry operations, vessel repair, and restaurants. The company’s experienced, action-oriented people, state-of-the-art equipment and automated facilities provide customers with safe, efficient and cost-effective movement of cargo anywhere. For more information, visit: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/8c2d66fd/jki3uJxkJ0G4YCWd3F7LNA?u=http://www.thecoopergroup.com/.