Diversified Marine in Portland, Ore., is due to deliver its fifth tug to Brusco Tug & Barge, Longview, Wash., in late September. Robert Allan Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, designed the tugs.Â
The new 78'1"×30'4" tug, the Bo Brusco, is named after the company’s owner, said Robert Allan’s Jim Hyslop. It is the second tug in a new series. The Bo Brisco will be used for ship-assist work at a West Coast port.
The first of the new series is the Peter J. Brix, which Diversified Marine delivered in March and is performing ship-assist work out of Grays Harbor, Wash. Both the Peter J. Brix and the Bo Brisco “have bigger drives and engines,” than the earlier boats, Hyslop said.Â
The Peter and Bo are outfitted with Caterpillar 3512C main engines rated at 2,366 hp each. They turn a pair of Rolls-Royce Z-drives with 94.5"-dia. wheels. That’s opposed to the Simone Brusco, the last of the previous tug series that Diversified Marine delivered in October. The Simone is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512C engines delivering 2,012-hp each to Rolls Royce Z-drives.
Previous Brusco tugs had Ulstein Z-drives, but only parts are now available for Ulstein units and not the complete drives, according to Hyslop.Â
 “With more horsepower, the scantlings are heavier, especially around the drive units. The shell plate is also heavier,” said Diversified Marine’s Kurt Redd.Â
“Basically you want to stiffen the boat up,” said Hyslop.Â
Bollard pull on the new tugs is 60 tons ahead and 55 tons astern.
The bow winch at the front of the pilothouse is a Markey Machinery DEPC-48-50HP. This is Markey’s class II electric hawser winch and is the same model that’s gone on the past three Brusco tugs, said Markey’s Scott Kreis. It’s a single-drum winch with a render-recover mode and a line pull of 27,820 lbs. at 268 feet per second, which makes it ideal for escort and ship-assist work.
Diversified Marine is also building a pair of RAL-designed 80'Ă—36' ship-assist tugs for Harley Marine Services, Seattle.Â
“It’s a new design, but it’s an evolution of boats we did for them a few years ago — the John Quigg and the Tim Quigg,” said Hyslop. “They are enhanced versions, slightly wider and slightly more power.”
Power for the new tugs will come from pairs of Caterpillar engines putting out a total of 5,000 hp, which is 200 hp more than the John Quigg and 500 hp more than the Tim Quigg. Both 76'Ă—32' tugs were built in 2004.
Bollard pull should be 65 tons ahead and 60 tons astern.Â
As of June, hulls for the new boats were being built. Redd said they are due to be launched in early 2015. Â
— Michael CrowleyÂ
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