Conrad Shipyard, Morgan City, La., has delivered the 123'x36'6" tug Kāpena Jack Young, to Young Brothers, Honolulu, an independent subsidiary of Seattle-based Foss Maritime. Designed by Damen USA, Kāpena Jack Young is the first of four new oceangoing tugs that will soon begin neighbor island service for Young Brothers.
The new tugs are the first new Kāpena class tugs built for Young Brothers. Main propulsion for the Kāpena Jack Young comes from GE 8L250MDC, Tier 4 exhaust gas re-circulation engines, producing a total of 6,000 hp.
“Kāpena” means “captain” in the Hawaiian language, and the name for the class of ships celebrates the skill and innovation of Young Brothers’ Hawaiian navigators and will be home-ported in Kaunakakai — the largest town on the island of Molokai, Foss said in a statement announcing the delivery. The new class of tugs are designed to match Young Brothers’ fleet of modern, high capacity barges and are designed to improve the company’s ability to provide “just-in-time” cargo service to neighbor island communities, while enhancing service through lower maintenance down time, better tow speeds, greater operating efficiencies, and lower emissions.
The Kāpena Jack Young is named after Capt. Jack Young, one of three brothers who founded Young Brothers in 1900. Each of the four new Kāpena class tugs will be named after an original Young Brothers’ captain, including nā Kāpena George Panui Sr. and Jr., Bob Purdy, and Raymond Alapa‘i. The christening of the Kāpena Jack Young was held at Port Fourchon with representatives of Young Brothers, Foss Maritime, Conrad, and Damen in attendance, as well as Sharon Young, Jack Young’s granddaughter, who sponsored the vessel.
“The four new Kāpena class tugs, represent our future while honoring our past. Once in service, the average age of our fleet will be reduced from an average age of 44 years to 12 years young,” Joe Boivin, Young Brothers’ new president, said. “The new tugs reinforce our commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and customer service.”
“I’m very impressed with the work that has been done by Conrad shipyards and Damen USA in the delivery of the first of our four new, state-of-the-art, Tier 4 tugs,” said John Parrott, president and CEO of Foss Maritime. “We worked with Young Brothers to research various tug hull designs, engines, and towing equipment options. The construction of these new tugs supports Young Brothers in providing reliable, affordable and frequent services throughout the Hawaiian islands — now and in the future.”
