Moran Towing Corp., New Canaan, Conn., announced recently that it awarded a contract to Master Boat Builders Inc., Coden, Ala., to build a pair of 92'x40' escort tugs. The tugs will be delivered by mid-2025.
Late last year, Moran awarded a contract to Master Boat to build a pair of 86'x36' 5,100-hp tugs that will have bollard pull of over 55 metric tons. The tugs will feature two Caterpillar 3512E Tier 4 main engines, each producing 2,549 hp, along with two Kongsberg US 205S FP thrusters, and a Markey Machinery DEPC-48 bow winch. The tugs will be the first that Master Boat will build for Moran.
Robert Allan Ltd. developed the innovative design for the two state-of-the-art 92' escort tugs that will each have a bollard pull of over 80 metric tons. The RApport 2800 tugs will be equipped with Tier IV main engines to meet the latest EPA regulations. Robert Allan can enhance the design for future tug builds. The addition of these two newbuilds will expand the number of tugs Moran has under construction from four to six, said Moran.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of these two new tugs, underscoring our pursuit of fleet enhancements,” said Ted Tregurtha, president, and CEO of Moran Towing. “These tugs represent a leap forward in our ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class maritime solutions. Through our collaboration with Master Boat Builders and Robert Allan Ltd., we have leveraged our design expertise to create vessels that not only embody exceptional performance and compliance but also offer adaptability to cater to our customer’s ever-changing demands,” Sean Perreault, Moran's vice president of corporate engineering services.
"We are excited to continue our partnership with Moran on the design and construction of these two new Robert Allan designed tugs," said Garrett Rice, president of Master Boat. "Moran is one of the most well-respected towing companies in the world, and we are honored to partner with them again."
"Designed to be simple, versatile and efficient, these new tugs will provide a solid backbone for Moran’s operations as they adapt to the ever-changing needs of the towing industry,” said James Hyslop, director, project development principal, Robert Allan Ltd.
This next class of tugs will be among the largest in the Moran tug fleet and will bring more power to accommodate the larger, deeper draft vessels coming into ports along the U.S. Gulf and East Coast, Moran said.
