Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding delivers Kirby ATB

Sturgeon Bay, WI Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, a subsidiary of Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG), has delivered the Kirby 155-01, a 155,000-barrel capacity barge, and the MV Heath Wood, a 6,000HP tug for Kirby Corporation (NYSE:KEX). The vessels are to be operated as an Articulated Tug-Barge unit and will haul petroleum and chemical products domestically. This is the first unit delivered under a 2014 contract for two identical ATB units.  The second ATB unit is scheduled for delivery in the summer of 2017, the shipbuilding Group said in a press release.   
 
Kirby Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, is the nation’s largest tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, along all three Unites States coasts, and in Alaska and Hawaii. Kirby now operates several ATB units built by FBS in the mid-2000s.  
 
Todd Thayse, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Vice President and General Manager, commented on the significance of the delivery. “The fact that this ATB was delivered ontime and within contracted costs speaks to the efficiency of our engineering, planning and manufacturing processes,” he said. “On-time, on budget delivery is critical to our customers, and, along with consistently high-quality build, it is the basis for retaining and reinforcing long-term relationships.”   Francesco Valente, President and CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, commented that “the recent expansion of the FBS yard will allow continued support to our established customers along with the opportunity to grow into new markets. The expansion provides additional manufacturing facilities and state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, that combined with our advanced manufacturing processes, will further enhance our competitive position.”   
 
Fincantieri Marine Group is the United States division of global shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, which employs nearly 20,000 shipbuilding professionals in 20 yards on four continents. Fincantieri has a 234-year history of building more than 7,000 ships.

About Fincantieri
Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups and number one by diversification and innovation. It is leader in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry’s sectors, from naval to offshore vessels, from high-complexity special vessels and ferries to mega-yachts, ship repairs and conversions, systems and components production and after-sales services. Headquartered in Triest, Italy, the Group has built more than 7,000 vessels in over 230-years of maritime history. With almost 19,000 employees, of whom more than 7,800 are in Italy, and 20 shipyards on four continents, today Fincantieri is the leading Western shipbuilder. It has among its clients the major cruise operators, the Italian and the U.S. Navy, in addition to several foreign navies, and it is partner of some of the main European defense companies within supranational programs. Fincantieri operates in the United States through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG).  This company, which serves commercial and government customers, including the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, has three shipyards (Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Fincantieri ACE Marine) all located in the Great Lakes Region.