ON April 21 in Lower Base, Tano Group launched a 40-foot-long “jack” barge it fabricated on Saipan, completing a project that began in September 2024.
According to Alexis Fallon, co-owner of Tano Group, the industrial and commercial construction company imported metal from South Korea and utilized engineering design services in the Philippines prior to fabricating the barge at a dock in Lower Base.
Leading the effort were Ramil Joyno, a shipbuilder and employee of Tano Group, and Chris Cook, who oversaw compliance with engineering plans and safety.
Fallon said the barge was built to operate in ocean conditions likely to be found in the CNMI. The barge may be useful in marine projects in the Saipan Lagoon, or on Tinian for port projects.
The barge features four “legs” that are raised perpendicular to its platform before being slid down through ports onto the sea floor, where they stabilize the structure. Once in place, the barge can be lifted into the air, almost like a car jack. It was specifically designed to bring heavy machinery close to marine project sites.
“It can help when you’re repairing a dock and you have to get a little closer to the shoreline,” Fallon said. “This allows for machinery to be there, cranes to operate, and to bring in pylons to repair a dock. You can think of Smiling Cove — they have different things where we can use this platform.”
“This is the smallest barge I think in all the Marianas,” she said. “It’s very nimble. It’s like a nimble little boat — it can get into areas that others can’t.”
Tano Group’s workers built the boat without a boat building facility, which is why the project took months to complete, Fallon said.
“It’s a long process because [we were] without a boatyard,” Fallon said, commending her employees for their “tremendous effort.”
“If they had a suspension system, do you know how much faster this would have been? This is more engineered for Saipan. You wouldn’t find a barge like this in the U.S. unless you commissioned it,” she added.
Tano Group launches its “jack” barge into the Saipan Lagoon from the Lower Base area, where it was fabricated.
Tano Group employees created the barge on Saipan. Prior to launching, it sat at the location it was fabricated.
