A 110’x40’ multipurpose tractor tug designed by Jensen Maritime will combine ship assist and escort performance for the new generation of larger containerships, with the towing ability and longer range of oceangoing tugs.
The Seattle-based naval engineering and architecture firm, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corp., developed the design jointly with client Vessel Chartering LLC. Under construction by JT Marine, Vancouver, Wash., the tug will be the third by Jensen to meet EPA Tier 4 marine engine emissions standards.
The design also addresses the industry’s ongoing quandary over how to deal with coming EPA and Coast Guard ballast water treatment requirements by dispensing with ballast water altogether. The tug will use fuel transfer between tanks, carrying up to 123,000 gals. to maintain trim.
Propulsion power will be provided by a pair of 3,385-hp Caterpillar 3516 Tier 4 engines, and their tankage includes up to 4,500 gals. of urea, used to scrub the main engine exhausts and achieve Tier 4 requirements. Fresh water capacity is 4,300 gals. with a water maker to top off potable water at sea.
On deck, an electrically powered, double-drum tow winch aft from Rapp USA and an electrically powered hawser winch forward from Markey Machinery will give the vessel a 93-to-95 short-ton bollard pull. Using electrically powered winches eliminates any chance of a hydraulic oil spill on deck.
A large pilothouse provides all-around visibility. The deckhouse will accommodate a crew up to 10, with an open feel to its large mess and lounge area.
Delivery is scheduled for the second quarter of 2017 to Vessel Chartering, a wholly owned division of Baydelta Navigation Ltd, San Francisco. The tug’s capabilities are designed to support towing, ship escorts and assists, including bigger 18,000-TEU containerships anticipated to increase future demands for those services at West Coast ports.
“The development of the Tier 4 engines for this tug demonstrates our commitment to innovative, environmentally friendly design while continuing to deliver powerful, high-quality performance,” Jensen Maritime vice president Johan Sperling said in announcing the project. “This tug will meet our industry’s demands for strong, yet nimble vessels with the quality design people expect from us.”
