Chinese tug construction started 2021 at pace with shipyards beginning newbuilding projects to meet domestic owner and port demand
Shipyards have started cutting steel and laying keels on several tug newbuilding projects and have already delivered four tugs over the past month.
Rizhao Gangda Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co has started construction of an azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug for its related towing company.
It is building this ASD harbour tugboat for Rizhao Towing and Barge Co to naval architecture by Robert Allan. The 495-gt, 34.30-m vessel is designed to operate in shallow waters, with navigational draft of 4.61m, in Shandong Port, China. It will be based on the ASD 34/60 tug design with bollard pull astern of around 50 tonnes, a moulded beam of around 11.2 m and free running speed of around 13 knots.
Robert Allan said this ASD 34/60 tug is custom designed for operation in the coastal waters of China. It will be built for berthing and unberthing large ships, especially for vessels with low freeboard where the height of the tug’s contact point with the assisted ship maybe a concern.
Elsewhere in China, Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard group laid the keel of a new ASD tug for an unnamed domestic owner on 15 January. This tugboat will be built with total power of 3,676 kW and a FiFi1 fire-fighting system.
That followed steel cutting of another ASD tugboat on 29 December 2020. This will be an 8000PS tug with a FiFi1 fire-fighting system, built for Shenzhen Yantian Tugboat Co.
On 25 December, Zhenjiang Shipyard in Jiangsu province launched an ASD tug for Tianjin South Port Shipping Co. Nan Gang Tuo 9 will have power of 3,824 kW when it is delivered later in 2021.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard has delivered four tugs and Sanlin Shipyard has completed one so far in 2021. This followed a slew of tug deliveries in Q4 2020.
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