Crowley Maritime Corp.’s Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering company, Jensen Maritime Consultants, has provided the detailed design for an initial four, with an option for six additional, Tier IV tractor tugboats being built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders for Foss Maritime.
The 90-short ton bollard pull tugs are based on Jensen’s Valor tugboat design, of which nine have been successfully built and deployed to date and an additional five remain under design/construction. Once delivered, the Foss tugs will be deployed along the U.S. West Coast.
The 100'x40' tugs will be multi-functional to include ship assist and escort capabilities as well as towing. Additionally, the tugs are Tier IV, meaning they utilize high-efficiency catalytic after-treatment technology to reduce emissions. Powered by twin Z-drive propulsion units, the tugs will be suitable for offshore service, ship assist, escort, maneuvering and docking. The tugs feature a large fuel capacity for long trips, comfortable crew accommodations and a spacious engine room along with an anchor windlass and chain locker, and a Markey TES-40 winch.
Additionally, Jensen designed the tugs with some of the most advanced safety features in the industry, including a 900 GPM fire pump and monitor, which will be powered from an on-board generator, the company said. The tugs will be Subchapter M compliant.
“Jensen continues to be a leading designer of multi-functional Tier IV tugboats for the American shipbuilding industry,” Bryan Nichols, Jensen’s director, business development, said in a statement announcing the newbuilds. “In addition to this particular sized tug, we have multiple build-ready designs available, ranging in size from 74 feet up to 110 feet for anyone looking to upgrade or expand their fleet for a variety of nearshore or offshore capabilities.”
Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants is a naval architecture and marine engineering firm that offers a diverse range of consulting, design and engineering services developed from more than 50 years of experience working around the world. Jensen is a recognized leader in the design of all types of vessels — particularly workboats, fishing boats and fireboats — and has built a favorable reputation on a long history of successful designs and conversions with close attention to engineering basics. The company's services include detail and conceptual design and engineering, lofting, regulatory and shipyard liaison as well as on-site consulting services and on-location assistance anywhere in the world.
