Blakeley BoatWorks Delivers M/V Claire Ellen to Cooper Marine-Louisiana

Blakeley BoatWorks Delivers M/V Claire Ellen to Cooper Marine-Louisiana

MOBILE, ALABAMA – Blakeley BoatWorks is proud to announce the completion and delivery of Hull 107, formally named M/V Claire Ellen, to Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations. 

Designed by Farrell and Norton and built by Blakeley BoatWorks, the 70-foot long, 28-foot wide, 1,600 horsepower vessel is fully compliant with the latest United States Coast Guard Subchapter M regulatory requirements.

“The New Build Program at Blakeley BoatWorks has delivered several vessels in this series, and we’re pleased to deliver the sixth 70ft pushboat to Cooper Marine-Louisiana,” said Swathin Kannalath, Managing Director of Blakeley BoatWorks. “We always want to exceed the expectations of the customer by providing the highest level of attention to quality and focus on reliability.” 

The towboat is powered by two (2) Caterpillar C32 800 HP Tier 3 diesel marine engines and coupled to two (2) Twin Disc MGX5222 gears. Electrical power is supplied by two (2) Caterpillar C4.4 Tier 3 generators. 

The towboat has a capacity of 22,000 gallons of fuel and 5,200 gallons of fresh water. The vessel is outfitted with 4 crew staterooms housing up to 7 crewmen with 3 bathrooms and a full galley arrangement. 

“We’re proud of the work Blakeley BoatWorks has done and are excited for M/V Claire Ellen to service fleets on the lower Mississippi River,” said Karl Gonzales, Vice President of Cooper Marine-Louisiana Operations. “The addition of this vessel proves to our customers that we aim to continually service our industry with the best equipment and crew members in the industry.” 

In addition to the delivery of M/V Claire Ellen, Blakeley BoatWorks has also begun construction on a seventh 1,600 horsepower vessel, Hull 113, for Cooper Marine’s Louisiana operations. 

About Blakeley BoatWorks:

Situated on 26 acres in heart of the port of Mobile and with capacity to simultaneously service up to 15 towing vessels and barges, Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) is a full-service shipyard specializing in small vessel repair, barge repair, and new vessel construction. Equipped with a 1,900-ton floating dry dock, 660-ton travel lift, and four covered fabrication shops, BBW is the Gulf Coast's premier towing vessel shipyard. BBW is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Cooper Group. To learn more, visit: www.blakeleyboatworks.com

About Cooper Marine:

Cooper Marine’s operations are powered by 42 towing vessels, 450 hopper barges, and one of the country's largest fleet of dry bulk gantry and floating derrick cranes. The company’s world-class stevedoring operations span over two deep-draft private cargo terminals located in the Port of Mobile, public bulk terminals in the ports of Corpus Christi and Mobile, and numerous private inland marine terminals throughout the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Cooper Marine’s barge affreightment and towing footprint includes the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Mississippi River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Black Warrior River, Tennessee River, Tombigbee River, Mobile River, Ohio River, Illinois River, Arkansas River, and Cumberland River. Cooper Marine is the premier deep-draft and inland bulk stevedore, barge line, and barge fleeting operator in the southeast United States. Cooper Marine’s footprint extends to its Louisiana Operations along the Lower Mississippi River as the industry’s premier towing vessel operator servicing inland barge fleets. For more information, visit www.cooper-marine.com 

About The Cooper Group:

The Cooper Group is anchored by one of America’s oldest and largest stevedoring and maritime firms. Established in 1905, The Cooper Group has operations on all three U.S. coasts and international operations in Mexico. The company maintains ownership in numerous satellite companies, including warehousing, terminal operations, tugboats, push boats, barging, barge fleeting, floating terminals, logistics, forestry operations, vessel repair, and restaurants. The company’s experienced, action-oriented people, state-of-the-art equipment and automated facilities provide customers with safe, efficient and cost-effective movement of cargo anywhere. For more information, visit: www.thecoopergroup.com.