Enterprise Mariner Services, LLC (EMS) operates with the motto “Safe, Efficient, Reliable”. With the addition of their eighth Z-drive towboat and the fourth from Sneed Shipbuilding, the goal of maintaining that excellence is ever more assured.
As with the previous three, the 87 by 34-foot Sebastian D, with an 11.5-foot molded depth, was built by Sneed Shipbuilding of Channelview Texas. This makes them well suited for working the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway where they routinely push two 30,000-barrel petroleum barges. Propulsion power is provided by a pair of Cummins QSK38M Tier III diesel engines coupled to the ZF Marine AT 5111 WM-FP Z-Drives fitted with 66-inch diameter propellers mounted in Kort nozzles. With these drives, the boats draw only 8.5 feet of water. At 1000 HP each, the QSK38M engines have earned a dominant place in towboats with conventional propellers. As with the conventional boats, they also give these very maneuverable Z-Drive boats plenty of power to safely handle the currents of the Mississippi River.
