Eastern Shipbuilding delivers third Tiger Shark class vessel

Yard News - August 22, 2012

Harvey Champion was delivered early in August.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group in the US has announced the early delivery of Harvey Champion, the third of three 292ft Tiger Shark class OSVs being constructed for Harvey Gulf International Marine in New Orleans.

Harvey Champion was delivered on August 7th 2012 after successfully completing dock trials, sea trials and DP trials.

The vessel is the 10th vessel that Eastern Shipbuilding Group has built and delivered to Harvey Gulf International Marine since 2002.

Launched in February, Harvey Champion is a DP 2, SOLAS-approved, FIFI 1 classed, diesel-electric vessel with twin Z-drives and measures 292ft x 64ft x 24.6ft.

The vessel has four Cummins QSK60-DM 16-cylinder turbo-charged Tier II diesel generator engines that are rated 1,825kW at 1,800 rpm provided by Cummins Mid-South.

Main propulsion is provided by two Converteam/GE furnished Hyundai 2,500kW 690v AC motors driving two Schottel SRP 2020 FP Z-drives with nozzles rated at 2,500kW at 1,025 rpm each for a total of 6,704hp.

Schottel also provided two STT 4 fixed pitch tunnel thrusters rated at 1,180kW at 1,170 rpm each with direct coupled Hyundai 690v AC electric motors. Converteam/GE provided the complete integrated diesel electric package including drives, motors, switchboards, motor control centers, automation and navigation/ communication electronics. The vessel is capable of a maximum speed of 14 knots with a cruising speed of 12 knots.

Below-deck capacities of the OSV include 241,408 gallons of fuel, 602,297 gallons of water ballast, 19,480 bbl of liquid mud, 14,350ft3 of bulk mud, 1,700 bbl of methanol and 16,728 gallons of potable water.

STX Canada Marine out of Vancouver, Canada provided the design based on two earlier vessels built at Eastern for Harvey Gulf.

Harvey Gulf is also constructing a 302ft multipurpose light construction vessel at Eastern, Harvey Deep-Sea, which will be ABS classed similar to Harvey Champion, but with FIFI 2. It will be equipped with an active heave-compensated, National Oilwell Varco supplied, 165 tonne knuckleboom crane capable of lifting/setting 100 tonnes at depths up to 10,000 ft. Harvey Deep-Sea is scheduled for delivery in May 2013.