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Buckley McAllister: strategies for fleet expansion
Powerful tugboats were required to manoeuvre and dock post-Panamax container ships along the US East Coast
McAllister Towing is carrying out a major fleet modernisation campaign to boost its towage and ship-handling capabilities in US East Coast ports. The New York-headquartered owner took delivery of its latest escort-class harbour tug Jane McAllister in Q3 2023 after its construction by Washburn & Doughty Associates.
After its arrival, McAllister Towing described this 28-m tug as “the new Queen of Hampton Roads” as it will support post-Panamax container ships calling into the Port of Virginia.
McAllister Towing president and chief executive Buckley McAllister says Jane McAllister is the 10th tug of this type in the fleet with more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull and escort capabilities. He tells Riviera Maritime Media there are two more of these powerful tugs under construction at Washburn & Doughty’s facilities in East Boothbay, Maine, to be named Grace McAllister and Isabel McAllister, due for delivery in 2024.
These escort tugs with a higher bollard pull than the existing fleet were required to tow and manoeuvre the large container ships calling at ports along the US eastern seaboard.
“The US Coast Guard assessed waterways suitability for the larger container ships coming into New York harbour and recognised to bring post-Panamax ships into Port Newark, tugs would need tethered escort of 80 tonnes bollard pull or greater, which is what Jane McAllister offers,” says Mr McAllister.
“Power is important. Most of our fleet has around 3,000 kW of power with 50 tonnes of bollard pull. Our newbuilds have almost double the power and 80-90 tonnes of bollard pull. With the size of post-Panamax ships, it is clear why we made this movement to increase power.”
Container ship capacity has risen from around 8,000 TEU before 2015 to 15,000 TEU in recent years, “and there are suggestions 18,000 and 20,000 TEU container ships are coming,” says Mr McAllister.
Container ships need to be escorted at least 10 km from outside New York into the port through a channel that can be less than 180 m in places and has 130˚ turns for escorted ships.
This series of tugboats have a beam of 12 m and total propulsion power of 5,050 kW which comes from twin Caterpillar 3516E engines, compliant with US Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emissions standards, driving two Schottel SRP 490 Z drives. Jane McAllister achieved more than 91 tonnes of bollard pull during its sea trials, it has ABS certification and Markey winches on the bow and stern.
These tugs are built to Washburn & Doughty’s design, which includes many additional functions and comforts that were important when deciding to select this shipyard to build these vessels.
“Washburn & Doughty’s design has been refined over the years by different operators and every company brings its own flavour to the design, and our crews like the comfort,” says Mr McAllister.
“Our crews went through specifications, drawings and scantlings and provided their comments to the naval architect. When the deckhand provided feedback, the naval architect wanted to talk to him to figure out how to keep this vessel well painted. There were slight refinements to the vessel design to get an even better final product.”
The first of these new escort tugs, Tate McAllister, was completed by Washburn & Doughty in 2014 and McAllister Towing has continued from there, working with the shipyard to refine the design further.
Fleet and ports
McAllister Towing operates a fleet of more than 59 tugboats, plus crew boats and barges, in 17 locations along the US East Coast from Eastport and Portland, Maine, to Port Everglades, Florida, and San Juan in Puerto Rico.
“Each port is different in tug requirements, and local navigation and practices differ on geology, terrain and marine conditions,” says Mr McAllister. “For example, in Providence, Rhode Island there are several bridges with height limits and no post-Panamax ships. In Connecticut, we service smaller ships, so there is space for smaller tugs with 3,000 kW. These are more efficient tugs capable of working with smaller ships.”
In Connecticut, McAllister Towing operates in Bridgeport, where an affiliated company also runs ferries to Long Island. McAllister tugs also operate in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Baltimore, Norfolk, Wilmington, Charleston and Jacksonville, operating some of the most advanced and powerful ship-docking tractor tugs serving these ports.
Adding these new escort tugs will not end the company’s expansion in North America. “We are looking for opportunities to expand,” says Mr McAllister. This could include secondhand purchases from other owners or more newbuilds. “Half of the fleet was built for our own account and the other half are secondhand,” he explains. All tugs in the fleet operate under the US Jones Act and do not operate in international markets.
“Constructing vessels for the US market is expensive, so they find it difficult to operate internationally,” says Mr McAllister. “We shuffle and optimise tugs in the domestic fleet, so it is difficult to have a split between a domestic and international fleet.”
Training
McAllister Towing prepared its crews for the arrival of these powerful tugs and post-Panamax ships through specialised training and mentoring. “We did simulation training with pilots and ship operators, while a lot of the training is on the job,” says Mr McAllister. “It is not easy to find the right people and get them trained on these operations.”
The next crewing and fleet challenge will be finding the right vessels and people to support the growing US offshore wind industry, with energy companies seeking maritime transport services off northeast US. “These will be large-scale projects and large-scale infrastructure does not exist in the US as it does in Europe. This represents many challenges,” says Mr McAllister.
More powerful Jones Act tugs and larger barges could be used to tow equipment to these projects. “We focus our services on ship assistance and harbour operations, which is different to what offshore wind operators need. But staging in the US is a piece of the puzzle we are comfortable with. Some of the advanced anchor handling tugs or renewable-fuel crew transfer vessels windfarms are looking for are not immediately available in the northeast of America.”
Many suitable Jones Act vessels are available in the Gulf of Mexico and could be relocated to the East Coast and be repurposed for offshore wind.
“There are cultural difference in the type of equipment looked for and the ability to produce that type of equipment.” The equipment needed is large, such as 120-m barges for feeder services, which are only required sporadically, making it difficult to invest in new assets.
“The towage components fit well with our business as we have a history of moving steel components and project cargo,” says Mr McAllister. “We have two crew boats, and we hope to get contracts to operate crew transfer vessels, tugs and barges,” for offshore windfarm construction and maintenance projects.
The company’s tugs have also assisted in the construction of Tappan Zee bridge across the Hudson River, towing components from Louisiana to New York, and “periodically helped in smaller bridge installations, gantry crane relocations and tunnel installations,” says Mr McAllister.
Tugs have also been involved in salvage projects and as first responders in emergencies as several McAllister vessels have FiFi1 fire-fighting systems with foam capacity. “We will provide tugs and work with recognised salvage companies. Our tugs are frequently involved in dead-ship tows and terminal fire-fighting, and sometimes fighting a fire while towing the ship. Our mariners are first responders and get specialist training,” he continues.
The 27th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards will be held in association with Caterpillar in Dubai, UAE, 21-23 May 2024. Use this link for more details of this industry event and the associated social and networking opportunities; and this link to book your ticket for the exhibition, social gatherings and awards night.
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