Olympic Spirit Bow Replacement

In just under three months, Vigor replaced the 300 ton bow of Olympic Spirit, an 80,000 BBL double hull petroleum barge owned by Harley Marine subsidiary, Olympic Tug & Barge, Inc. The bow replacement of Olympic Spirit was necessitated by some mistakes that were made during the original construction of the barge. Harley worked closely with naval architect, Elliott Bay Design Group, on the most effective strategy to bring Olympic Spirit up to Harley’s standards of excellence. It was decided that a total bow replacement was the best solution. Solid teamwork was a key component to the success of this significant and complex project.

The 300-ton bow module was pre-built at Vigor’s Swan Island shipyard in Portland, Oregon, allowing the vessel to continue operations. As the module neared completion, the Olympic Spirit was transported to the Portland yard. The existing bow was removed and the new module was attached. The excellent design work provided by Harley and Elliott Bay allowed Vigor Marine teams to retain the forward collision bulkhead both speeding and simplifying installation.