Tugboat Spence
| Barge Guantanamo Bay Express aground near St. Johns River entrance. | |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tugboat Spence |
| Owner: | TransAtlantic Lines[1] |
| Operator: | TransAtlantic Lines[1] |
| Builder: | Bollinger Machine Shop & Ship Yard Inc.[1] |
| Completed: | 1 September 1974[1] |
| Identification: |
Call sign WDC4261[2] IMO number: 7506780[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 189 GT[1] |
| Length: | 27.78 m (91.1 ft)[1] |
| Beam: | 7.92 m (26.0 ft)[1] |
| Depth: | 3.50 m (11.5 ft) molded depth[1] |
| Capacity: | 129 DWT[1] |
| Career (United States) | |
| Name: | Barge Guantanamo Bay Express |
| Owner: | TransAtlantic Lines[3] |
| Operator: | TransAtlantic Lines[3] |
| Builder: | Misener Industries Inc.[3] |
| Completed: | 1 September 1983[3] |
| Renamed: | McAllister Dispatcher until 1985, Boston Trader' until 1988, and Columbia Boston until 2002.[3] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 2529 GT[3] |
| Length: | 76.2 m (250 ft)[3] |
| Beam: | 21.95 m (72.0 ft)[3] |
| Depth: | 4.88 m (16.0 ft) molded depth[3] |
| Approximate route of the tugboat Spense and barge Guantanamo Bay Express Approximate route of the tugboat Spence and barge Guantanamo Bay Express | |
The Tugboat Spence and its Barge Guantanamo Bay Express are owned by American shipping company TransAtlantic Lines LLC. Together, they make a twice-monthly trip between Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.[4] Each leg of the trip takes approximately 4 and 1/2 days and covers approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Unloading the barge can take up to five days.
Contents
History
On 13 June 2001, TransAtlantic Lines won a contract with an estimated cumulative value of $16,738,001 for dedicated ocean liner cargo service to U.S. military installations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[5] This contract extended until 30 June 2004.[5] The government announced the requirements for the charter on the World Wide Web on 4 December 2000, and seven bids were received.[5] Military Traffic and Management Command in Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity.[5]
On 14 February 2002 the Department of Defense announced an award of contract DAMT01-02-D-0025, a $17,923,770 firm-fixed-price contract for the tug and barge combination.[6] The contract required provision of international cargo transportation services using ocean common or contract carrier offering regularly scheduled commercial liner service for requirements that may arise in any part of the world.[6] Contract requirements included provision of dedicated ocean, inter-modal, and related transportation services primarily between the Continental United States and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[6] There were seven bids solicited on 26 September 2001, and seven bids received.[6] The Military Traffic Management Command located in Alexandria, Virginia was the contracting activity.[6]
On 11 November 2004, while leaving Mayport, Florida en route to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the tow wires connecting the tug and barge parted, causing the barge to run aground.[7] At the time of the accident, the vessels were experiencing thirty knot wind gusts and 12-foot (3.7 m) seas.[7] Extensive bottom damage and breaches to all port side voids were reported.[7] The barge was refloated and delivered to the owners the following day.[7] The vessels were owned by Pac-Atlantic Marine Leasing, LCC at the time.[8]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 American Bureau of Shipping 2008, Spence.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States Coast Guard 2008, Spence.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 American Bureau of Shipping 2008, Guantanamo Bay Express.
- ↑ Joseph A. Morris, Chris S. Pisano (2002-07-05). "Living and dying by the barge". The Wire. p. 6. http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/wire/wire/WirePDF/v2/TheWire-v2-i04-05Jul02.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Department of Defense, 2001.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 U.S. Department of Defense, 14 February 2002.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Titan Beats Time Before Barge Breaks Up". Maritime Journal. Mercator Media. 2005-01-01. http://www.maritimejournal.com/archive/2005/january/tugs,_towing__and__salvage/titan_beats_time_before_barge_breaks_up. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ↑ "Guantanamo bound barge grounds". MarineLog.com. 2004-11-12. http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIV/MMIVNov12b.html. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
References
- United States Coast Guard (USCG) (2008). "Tugboat Spence". Port State Information Exchange. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. http://psix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXDetails.aspx?VesselID=130659. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- United States Coast Guard (USCG) (2008). "Barge Guantanamo Bay Express". Port State Information Exchange. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. http://psix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXDetails.aspx?VesselID=218595. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). "Guantanamo Bay Express (Vessel Details)". ABS Record. American Bureau of Shipping. http://www.eagle.org/safenet/record/record_vesseldetailsprinparticular?Classno=8305329&Accesstype=PUBLIC&ReferrerApplication=PUBLIC2.
- American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). "Spence (Vessel Details)". ABS Record. American Bureau of Shipping. http://www.eagle.org/safenet/record/record_vesseldetailsprinparticular?Classno=7420037&Accesstype=PUBLIC&ReferrerApplication=PUBLIC2.
- U.S. Department of Defense (2001-06-14). "Contracts". DefenseLink. U.S. Department of Defense. http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/contract.aspx?contractid=2040. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- U.S. Department of Defense (2002-02-14). "Contracts". DefenseLink. U.S. Department of Defense. http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/contract.aspx?contractid=2202. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
External links
- Guantanamo Bay contract 2006-2007
- Grounding report at MMP
- TAL vs. SVO on Guantanamo Bay
- Bollinger Shipyards
- Misener Marine Construction
| |||||
