The Bering Wind, a 5,080-hp Dolphin-class tugboat, is being transferred from the Foss Maritime fleet in Long Beach, Calif., to Cook Inlet Tug & Barge in Anchorage, Alaska. The tug, formerly known as the Campbell Foss, is scheduled to begin service in Anchorage this month.
The vessel was renamed in October of this year and is scheduled to enter service in Alaska by Nov. 15, 2018.
The Bering Wind is one of the most powerful harbor tugs in the industry. Powered by two Series II Caterpillar engines and twin Rolls Royce US 205 FP Z drives, the Campbell Foss is rated at 5,080 hp and has more than 135 tons of pulling power. The tug’s diesel-electric hybrid service is provided on one 125-kW Marathon generator set, Foss officials said.
“The addition of the Bering Wind to our Anchorage based fleet of tugs will improve our current level of service in the port,” Ben Stevens, president of Cook Inlet Tug and Barge, said in a statement announcing the move. “It will also ensure safe port operations can be conducted during the anticipated port revitalization project which will commence in spring of 2019.”
The boat was built by Foss in 2005. In 2011, she was converted to hybrid power, the first-ever tug converted to become a hybrid. The Bering Wind and its sister vessel, the Carolyn Dorothy, were the first two hybrid tugs in the industry, according to Foss.
“We are extremely proud of the role that this ground-breaking vessel has had in our fleet — it has been one of the gems of our operations,” said John Parrott, CEO of Cook Inlet Tug's parent company Foss Maritime. “We are very excited to see her becoming a vital part of the Alaska maritime economy.”
The Bering Wind will be based out of Anchorage and has been repainted with the recognizable blue and white colors of Cook Inlet Tug and Barge.
