Steiner Construction Delivers First-Of-Its-Kind Towboat To ACBL

Leaders from American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), Mitsubishi and Laborde Products gathered at Steiner Construction in Bayou La Batre, Ala., October 25 to celebrate the delivery of a first-of-its-kind towboat, the mv. Michael J. Kennelly, named for Mike Kennelly, senior vice president of ACBL’s Liquid Division.

According to Russell T. “Bubba” Steiner, owner and president of the shipyard, the mv. Michael J. Kennelly is the first Tier 4 retractable-pilothouse towboat to enter service. ACBL officials have said the idea to combine a retractable pilothouse with Tier 4 engines was the brainchild of Kennelly and an existing ACBL customer who operates within the Houston Harbor.

“Mike Kennelly and our customer came up with a design that featured not only a retractable wheelhouse but also Tier 4 engines, which represent the strictest of EPA emission requirements for marine diesel engines and will significantly reduce emissions,” ACBL CEO Mike Ellis said. “Mike Kennelly is not only important to ACBL but also an industry legend. He’s been in this business his entire career. This was his idea, his concept, and we just thought it would be very fitting to name the vessel after him.”

The mv. Michael J. Kennelly also boasts another first. The vessel’s two Mitsubishi S12R Tier 4 main engines from Laborde Products mark the debut installation of a Tier 4 marine engine from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger. First announced in 2020, the engine, which uses selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to meet Tier 4 nitrogen oxide emission standards, produces 1,260 hp. at 1,600 rpm, giving the Michael J. Kennelly a total of 2,520 hp.

Like Mitsubishi’s Tier 3 and earlier marine engines, the Mitsubishi S12R Tier 4 engines continue the company’s commitment to all-mechanical engines, free of complex electronic components. The result is an engine that both produces lower emissions and allows for easier maintenance and repairs.

“We’re really excited to see this boat go to work,” said Brian Laborde, president and CEO of Laborde Products. “When we started our Tier 4 engine development, we were really focused on maintaining the simplicity of the Mitsubishi engine. We wanted to provide a simple, reliable solution that also met the emission standards the industry and the government are requiring today.”

With the Michael J. Kennelly receiving the first pair of Mitsubishi Tier 4 engines, in addition to fitting the SCRs into a retractable towboat’s more compact engineroom, the project took plenty of collaboration. All parties were up to the task.

“Seeing this vessel come to fruition is rewarding for all the partners who invested in this project,” Ellis said. “It’s a beautiful boat and will be a great asset and another innovative solution delivered to our customers.”

Steiner praised the Mitsubishi and Laborde teams for their partnership during the construction process.

“It was challenging to put all the components for a Tier 4 boat in a retractable,” Steiner said. “It was a very interesting project. While a difficult project, all of us, from Laborde Products to Mitsubishi to our team, made it as smooth as it could be.”

Steiner said the shipyard began the project in October 2022, with the boat completed in about a year.

Laborde and Ellis both highlighted trust as a key factor in making the project a success.

“When you partner with somebody on the first of anything, it takes a high level of trust,” Laborde said.

“Trust went a long way in the Mitsubishi and Laborde team choosing ACBL,” Ellis said. “We knew where their strengths were. We knew where we could operate this vessel and work as a team, a partnership, to make sure it was a success. We ultimately incorporated that knowledge into a solution that led them to select us as their partner on this project.”

To mark the occasion, executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger (MHIET)—including Engine & Energy Division Senior General Manager Kazuhiro Aruga; Emiko Ikari, sales team manager, Marine Engine Section;  and Mitsubishi Turbocharger & Engine North America President Tatsuro Usuki—traveled to Bayou La Batre to tour the mv. Michael J. Kennelly and meet with representatives from the shipyard, ACBL, Laborde Products and other vendors.

“We are very glad to be a part of this business,” Ikari said. “Together with Laborde, we would do anything to support the business expansion of ACBL and the United States marine industry, so we’re very happy and very thankful to be a part of it.”

Rev. Michael Long Vu, pastor of St. Margaret’s Church in Bayou La Batre, offered a prayer of blessing over the mv. Michael J. Kennelly. Afterward, Kennelly stepped aboard with his children and broke a bottle of champagne over his namesake vessel’s forward gunwale, just above his name. To end the day, Steiner served lunch inside the shipyard’s office building.

Mv. Michael J. Kennelly

The Michael J. Kennelly measures 82 feet by 34 feet with a 10.5-foot molded depth. The vessel was designed by Farrell & Norton. The Kennelly has tankage for 28,600 gallons of fuel, 8,400 gallons of potable water, 2,000 gallons of both gear oil and lube oil, 1,000 gallons of both waste oil and hydraulic oil, 3,000 gallons of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) and 28,680 gallons of ballast. With the wheelhouse raised, the Michael J. Kennelly has an air draft of 41 feet, 2 inches. With the wheelhouse lowered, the vessel’s air draft shrinks to 17 feet, 7 inches.

The Mitsubishi main engines are paired to Twin Disc 5600 reduction gears (6.04:1 ratio). The Kennelly is equipped with “dominator style” Sound Propellers, along with bearings and shaft seals by Thordon.

The mv. Michael J. Kennelly features FPT 4.5L NEF45TEZ 99 kW generators from Laborde Products and Fernstrum Gridcoolers. Gulf Coast Air & Hydraulics supplied the vessel’s machinery alarms, steering system and pilothouse lift system. The Kennelly is also equipped with a Seahorse wastewater treatment system.

Outside, the vessel features a pair of Wintech deck winches, joiner work by Kern Martin, fendering by Schuyler and paint by Sherwin Williams.

Inside, the vessel is equipped with electronics and communications equipment by Wheelhouse Electronics, heating and air by RS Price & Son and sound dampening and vibration reduction by Mascoat Sound Control.

The October 25 event was the first of two christenings ACBL is planning for the mv. Michael J. Kennelly. A second christening will be held in January in Houston to celebrate and honor Mike Kennelly for his professionalism, excellence, leadership, resilience and for the role he plays within the ACBL team. More details are to follow.

Caption for top photo: The Michael J. Kennelly also features the first installation of Tier 4 engines from Mitsubishi. (Photo by Frank McCormack)