Construction completed on new towboat for Cooper Marine and Timberlands

By Baird Maritime - March 23, 2021.

Mobile, Alabama-based Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) has completed construction on a new towboat ordered by Cooper Marine and Timberlands (CMT), its sister company under the Cooper/T. Smith Corporation.

The vessel has been named Gretchen V. Cooper after the wife of Cooper/T. Smith President Angus R. Cooper III. It has a length of 33.5 metres, a beam of 10 metres, a draught of 2.5 metres, and two Caterpillar 3512E 1,267kW EPA Tier IV-compliant diesel engines.

The interior has four bath/shower areas, a full galley, and six staterooms that can accommodate eight crewmembers. All interior spaces feature mini-split HVAC units.

Electrical power is supplied by a pair of Caterpillar C4.4 generators.