Foss Maritime, Seattle, christened the 90' Jamie Ann, the first of four new ASD-90 tugs under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Freeland, Wash., on Feb. 29. Her three sisters: the Sarah Averick, the Leisa Florence, and the Rachael Allen, are due to be delivered this year for service with the Saltchuk Marine family of companies.
Jamie Ann’s upgrades include two MTU Tier 4 engines producing 6,866 hp, which meet the EPA’s highest standards. The engines reduce particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions to near zero through an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system but are powerful enough to escort the largest tankers and container ships that call U.S. West Coast ports.
“We’re building these vessels to the most stringent emissions standards in the world,” Janic Trepanier, Foss's naval architect who is managing the project, said in a prepared statement. “These were built to satisfy the requirements of the state of California requirements we believe will soon be required of the rest of the country and the world.”
The vessel’s upgraded safety features are equally impressive and focus on crew safety on deck, wheelhouse visibility, winch operations and sound abatement in the engine room and staterooms.
The Jamie Ann was slated for a mid-March deployment to Foss Harbor Services in San Francisco Bay where the new tug will provide tanker escort and assists for Foss’s oil and gas customers.
