A Chinese maritime trade and foreign investment project has reached a significant milestone with delivery and launch of new tugs
The launch of three new tugs has seen China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard Group pass the halfway point in its construction of a fleet of tugs for the Guinea Al-project, which is part of China’s One Belt and One Road strategy.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang has so far completed three tugs for COSCO Shipping Bulk Transportation, which is supporting the Guinea Al-project mining project. Tugs Yi Tuo 101, Yi Tuo 102 and Yi Tuo 201 were delivered in October and are the first of 11 tugs the shipyard is building for the Chinese government-backed inland bulk transportation project in Africa.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang launched the fourth of these tugs on 29 October, to be named Yi Tuo 104, and laid the keel for a fifth of these workboats, Yi Tuo 203, on 17 November.
The shipyard is currently outfitting a sixth vessel, Yi Tuo 202, which is due to be ready for completion this year. Tugs launched and started in Q3 2019 are expected to be completed in 2020.
These pusher tugs will be operated by COSCO subsidiary Yifeng Shipping, to transport barges of aluminium ore along Guinea rivers from the African country’s bauxite mines.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang was also busy completing ASD tugboats for Chinese ports this quarter.
It delivered three of these harbour tugs to Liaoning Longyun Shunze Co on 10 November. These included two with just over 50 tonnes of bollard pull and one with 60 tonnes of pull.
Bao Hang 2 and Bao Hang 7 have an overall length of 37.95 m and breadth of 10.4 m. They each have total propulsion power of 2,942 kW and top speeds of 12.9 knots.
The tugs have bollard pull ahead of 51 tonnes, ahead pull of 45.7 tonnes and enough fuel to operate to a distance of 800 nautical miles.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang also delivered Bao Hang 5 with an overall length of 39 m, beam of 10.6 m and 3,680 kW of power. This has a fire-fighting system to FiFi1 notation, ahead pull of 60 tonnes, astern pull of 54.5 tonnes and top speed of 13.3 knots.
The shipyard’s domestic harbour tug construction projects continued in October with the launch of a towing tug.
Zhang Gang 28 will have total propulsion power of 3,280 kW when it is operated by Zhangjiagang Tug Ship Co in Zhangjiagang Port.
On 22 October, Jiangsu Zhenjiang carried out steel cutting for two ASD tugboats Nanjing Port (Group) Co. One of these will have 3,280 kW of power and the other 2,680 kW.
In September, Jiangsu Zhenjiang cut steel for a 3,280-kW ASD harbour tug for operations in Tangshan Port for Caofeidian Tug Ship Co.
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