Vane Brothers, which provides maritime services on the East, West and Gulf coasts, took delivery this month of the Annapolis, the second of four 3,000-hp Salisbury-class push tugs being built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, Md.
The Annapolis has a design that is identical to the tug Salisbury, delivered in 2019. The 94'x34'x10.5' tugs have working draft of 8.5'. Each vessel in the Subchapter M-compliant Salisbury-class is especially well-suited for operations along inland waterways, Vane said.
Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes said the company continues to invest in "thoughtfully crafted tugboats and barges that operate to the highest standards demanded by our customers. These purpose-built vessels maximize efficiency in their defined markets while meeting strict, Coast Guard-enforced Subchapter M safety requirements.”
On the Salisbury-class design, Chesapeake naval architect John Womack worked in closely with Vane Brothers Port Captain Jim Demske, who has overseen construction of nearly 50 tugboats for Vane over the last two decades. “The Annapolis, like the Salisbury before her, is an extremely robust inland pusher,” said Demske. “With a solid and sturdy design that delivers unsurpassed performance and safety, Vane Brothers’ crew-friendly Salisbury-class tugs can work efficiently and handle well in both shallow draft areas and open water environments.”
The tugs are spacious and quiet, and feature eight separate heating and air-conditioning systems that operate independently throughout the vessels. This enhances crew comfort in addition to augmenting fire-containment capability in case of emergency.
The Annapolis runs on two Caterpillar 3512 Tier 3, rated at 1,500-hp each at 1,800 rpm. The engines turn a pair of stainless steel Hung Shen troost-style 5-bladed propellers through Twin Disc MGX-5600 gears with 6:1 ratios. The propulsion package gives the tug a running speed of 10.5 knots.
A roomy pilothouse features both Simrad and Furuno electronics, as well as dual Rose Point electronic charting systems. There's tankage for 40,000 gals. of fuel; 15,000 gals. ballast water, 5,000 gals. water; and 5,000 gals. zero discharge tank. The crew capacity is seven.
Ancillary equipment includes 65-ton Patterson winches, JonRie InterTech capstans, and Fernstrum box coolers.
The tug is named for the capital city of Maryland. Vane Brothers is headquartered in Baltimore.
