Another Katrina Victim Returns to Service

The Ann Peters has been completely rebuilt and is now ready to join the Ingram Barge Lines fleet. The vessel was repowered with a pair of new Cummins QSK 50 diesel engines each rated 1193 kW at 1800 r/min.

One of the little noted boat casualties surrounding Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the fate of the towboat Ann Peters.It was blown out of the water and came to rest on a levee in New Orleans. When welders tried to attach pad eyes on the 28 by 10 m vessel so it could be returned to the water, a torch ignited fuel onboard and the vessel was badly burned.Owned by TECO Transportation Co., a division of TECO Energy Inc., of Tampa, Florida, U.S.A. the towboat was one of three TECO boats caught in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.All were damaged by the force of the winds, but only the Ann Peters burned.

The vessel was purchased from TECO by James Marine Shipyard, Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.A., in January 2008 and towed to their Paducah River Services Division for rebuilding and has since been purchased by Ingram Barge Lines. “We basically rebuilt the entire vessel from the hull to the pilothouse because of fire and smoke damage,” said Mark Duley, general manager of motor vessel engineering for Ingram Barge Lines. “We started with the damaged hull and rebuilt it to a new vessel. There was not a single piece of wire or cable that we did not replace in the hull,” Duley explained. The new engines are a pair of Cummins QSK 50 diesels each rated 1193 kW at 1800 r/min driving Twin Disc MG5600 gearboxes. The mains are mounted on resilient pads to keep noise and vibration levels low.

The generator sets were replaced as well with a pair of 80 kW Cummins 6BTA5.9D(M) units that were installed for ship’s power. Ingram Barge Co. Associates completed the electrical renovations, as well as the engine and equipment spaces rebuild. James Marine Shipyard completed the vessel steel repairs and underwater modifications. Cummins Crosspoint, Evansville, Indiana, U.S.A., provided support for the repower. Work on the vessel was completed in early August 2008.

“We expect the Ann Peters to be utilized on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers,” Duley said. Ingram is reported to be one of the largest barge companies in the United States with 4000 barges, 100 line haul towboats and 40 vessels under 1342 kW. Its headquarters are located in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.