Rodriguez Tow Boat For Mid-River
Cummins Vessel Reference #782
Over the years Rodriguez triple-screw shallow-draft towboats have won a following in the shallow waters of the Mississippi River estuary. Many of these boats are the distinctive aft-cabin Lugger-type of vessel.
Recently Mid-River Terminal of Osceola, Arkansas has taken delivery of a new design towboat from Rodriguez. With a conventional forward-house pusher configuration, the new 70 by 30-foot MV/ Dianna Lynn utilizes the same propulsion as the Lugger tugs. This is composed of three in-line 6-cylinder Cummins QSK19 engines, each delivering 660 HP. Each engine turns a 66-inch stainless steel propeller through ZF gears with 6:1 reduction. The combination gives the 1,980 HP-towboat an eight-foot operating draft.
The wheelhouse has a full 360-degree view with large windows and is set atop two accommodation decks and a half deck that also serves for bridge electronics support. This gives the towboat a 31-foot eye-level, with full tanks, for working high barges. Steering and flanking rudders are controlled by wheelhouse levers with mechanical shafts through the houses and connected to the hydraulic actuator valves in the upper engine room. A set of push knees and deck winches with cheek blocks facilitates barge work. A pair of 55 kW gensets meets the boat’s electrical requirements.
Zero discharge tanks, built integral to the hull, provide storage for treated sewage and all drains. A separate tank handles waste oil.
The M/V Dianna Lynn is the fourth boat in the Mid-River Terminal fleet, all of which are Cummins powered. Owner Rick Ellis said by phone, “We wanted the three engines for redundancy so that even if we loose an engine we still have over 1200 horsepower.”
The new boat will be primarily involved in fleeting and harbor work, “Rodriguez did a great job and it is a great handling boat,” Ellis added.
Photos courtesy of Rodriguez Boat Builders, Inc.
For further information:
Rick Ellis
Owner
Mid-River Terminal LLC
2575 E State Hwy 198
Osceola, AR, 72370 United States
Phone: 870 780 7802
E-mail: r.ellis@mid-riverterminal.com
Joseph Rodriguez
Owner
Rodriguez Boat Builders, Inc.,
P.O. Box 8422
Bayou LaBatre, Alabama
USA
Phone: 251 824-4067
E-mail: joserodrig@aol.com
Larry Neff
Cummins Mid-South, Inc.
1924 E I-65 Rd, North
Mobile, AL 36617
Phone: 251 895 1590
E-mail: larry.e.neff@cummins.com
Alan Haig-Brown
Over 30 years as an author for global commercial marine and fishing publications backed with hands-on experience on commercial fishing boats and coastal freighters makes Alan Haig-Brown uniquely qualified to provide vessel reference articles for Cummins Marine. You can find him in shipyards around the world, and on his own website, www.haig-brown.com.
