Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding delivers clean fuel barge 'Clean Canaveral,' America's Largest ATB
STURGEON BAY – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding made a special delivery to Polaris New Energy Dec. 3: the nation's largest articulated tug and barge named "Clean Canaveral."
The barge measures 340 feet long for a total of 5,500 cubic meters, designed to ship liquefied natural gas. Polaris, a subsidiary of Northstar Terminals, will use the ship to deliver clean fuel, meeting a growing demand for natural gas as maritime fuel, according to a press release from Fincantieri.
Representatives and family members from Polaris joined the company to celebrate Clean Canaveral's delivery, including CEO Mac Hummel and Senior Vice President of Operations Thomas Sullivan.
“When Northstar decided to enter the LNG bunkering business, we reached out to several shipyards for bids," Sullivan said at the ceremony. "But based on our past experience with Fincantieri Bay, the incredible talent of the team that's standing before me now, the welders, the pipefitters, the electricians, the paint crew, and everyone behind the scenes, my hope was we could come to terms with Fincantieri Bay."
Sullivan's daughter-in-law Candyce Sullivan presented the ship ceremoniously, smashing a bottle of champagne on part of it.
Hummel and Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Vice President and General Manager Craig Perciaville recognized at the ceremony several organizations that also contributed, including U.S. Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping for support, VARD for design services, and Wärtsilä for the liquefied natural gas handling systems, according to the press release.
For the future, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is contracted to build a sister ship of a similar size.
Prior to the delivery, the shipyard's Vice President and Manager Todd Thayse announced he would retire after fully transitioning the position to Perciaville, according to a separate press release from November. Thayse spent 37 years with the company, with the last 10 in the leadership role.
Perciaville brings his background in the shipbuilding and repair industry, most recently as the president of Austal USA in Alabama, according to the press release. He holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Engineering Systems from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York.