On August 4, 2021, Southwest Shipyard hosted SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc. and Mike Hooks, LLC at their Galveston, TX facility for the launch of their Idler Barge, the Jeremiah H., coming in at 120’- 0” x 39’-9” x 7’-11”. A major component of the Idler barge is that it will be fitted with a hydraulic driver spud track that will assist dredge vessels during operations. The spud track was engineered and manufactured by SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc., and the Vessel is being constructed for Mike Hooks, LLC.
After the launch, the Jeremiah H. was transferred to Southwest Shipyard’s Port of Houston facility for sandblasting and painting. This was the first of 2 vessels to launch and will be delivered during the 4th quarter of 2021. The second vessel, the Lorraine Hooks, is a 27” Cutter Suction Dredge, and will be delivered during the 1st quarter of 2022. The size of the non-propelled 27” Cutter Suction Dredge will be 300’x 50’x11’.5” and the maximum dredging depth of the vessel will be 75 feet. The dredger will be equipped with a spud carrier, living quarters, and, at times, will be accompanied by the idler barge.
Scott Theriot, President and CEO for Southwest Shipyard L.P. said, “We are excited that we have been able to diversify our new construction portfolio to service the dredging industry while remaining close to our core business. Being able to accomplish this goal with two well established and respected firms like Mike Hooks, LLC and SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc. was extremely fortunate for everyone here at Southwest. We are committed to supporting the dredging industry as we have, and will continue to, support the push boat, tank, and deck barge industries for many years to come.”. Southwest Shipyard L.P. is honored to be part of the construction process for the state-of-the-art vessels. David Chacon, Managing Director, New Construction Projects for Southwest Shipyard L.P. said, “We at Southwest Shipyard are honored to be able to provide our construction experience and services to SPI/Mobile Pulley Works, Inc. and the Mike Hooks family. We see these projects as an opportunity to diversify and strengthen our business portfolio.”
Southwest Shipyard currently operates four shipyard facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast – all with convenient deep-water access to the Gulf of Mexico servicing the marine industry. Southwest Shipyard currently provides services that include new construction, major conversions, topside repairs, drydocking, surface preparation, painting, gas freeing, cleaning, steaming, flaring, and water treatment. Capability highlights include over 900,000 square feet of indoor fabrication space, 500-ton crane capacity, and an enclosed 200’ x 54’ blast and paint shop in New Construction. In Barge and Boat Repair, a 300’ x 80’ indoor paint booth is accessible along with deep-water drydock capacity of 24’ draft above the blocks. Barge Cleaning, Steam Dock, and Water Works boast 2 state-of-the-art USCG certified flares (99.999% destruction efficiency), 4 state -of-the-art LPG flares, and the ability to accommodate 30,000- barrel (1.2 million gallon) barge water shipments, respectively. As one of the largest shipyards and barge cleaning facilities on the Gulf Coast, Southwest Shipyard is equipped to build and repair a wide range of barges, inland vessels, OSVs, ferries, tugs, and dredges. Their fourteen drydocks and four rail systems are capable of hauling out up to fourteen 30,000bbl barges at a time on land, giving them one of the most substantial out-of-water repair capacities in the industry. For more information, visit Southwest Shipyard, L.P.’s website at www.swslp.com .