Caofeidian Tugging Services has taken delivery of a newbuild azimuth stern drive (ASD) harbour tug to access all areas of a major Chinese port in all weather conditions
Cao Gang 27 has almost unique capabilities for accessing iced up areas of Tangshan Port in China including shallow water areas.
Caofeidian Tugging Services has started operating this azimuth stern drive (ASD) ice-class and shallow draught tug to handle larger ships using Caofeidian Port in northeastern Hebei Province, China.
Cao Gang 27 was built to a customised Robert Allan design and to Chinese Classification Society rules with an ice-strengthened hull and a draught of just 3.8 m when the tug is at 100 dwt.
Built by Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard group as a RAmparts 2800 design tug with 41 tonnes of bollard pull and a free running speed of 12.5 knots, this 28.4 m tug has a moulded beam of 11.8 m and a least moulded hull depth of 5.1 m.
Cao Gang 27’s main propulsion incorporates a pair of Yanmar 6EY22AW diesel engines, each rated at 1,330 kW at 900 rpm. These drive two Schottel, SPR 340 fixed pitch Z-drive units, in ASD configuration.
The vessel’s accommodations are compliant with Maritime Labour Convention standards for a normal operating crew of up to nine personnel. The master and chief engineer cabins are located on the main deck with three single and two double crew cabins located in the lower accommodation level.
Cao Gang 27 has ship handling fenders around the tug. At the bow, fendering consists of an 800 x 400 mm cylindrical fender with 480 x 300 mm W-block fendering below. A 300 x 300 mm D-hollow fender provides protection at the main deck sheer line and along the knuckle, and 480 x 300 mm W-block fendering is used at the stern.
Cao Gang 27’s tanks hold up to 65.4 m3 of fuel oil, 36.8 m3 of fresh water and 90 m3 of ballast and cooling water.
Robert Allan said Cao Gang 27 was customised for operations in ice and shallow water areas of Caofeidian Port and the ASD tug “exceeded performance expectations” during sea trials.
Cao Gang 27 particulars
Owner: Caofeidian Tugging Services
Builder: Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard
Area: Tangshan, Hebei Province, China
Length, oa: 28.40 m
Beam, moulded: 11.8 m
Least draft, with 100 dwt: 3.80 m
Bollard pull: 41 tonnes
Free running speed: 12.5 knots
Main engines: 2 x Yanmar 6EY22AW
Propulsion: 2 x Schottel SPR 340 FP Z-drives
Class: Chinese Classification Society
Smart tug operations and propulsion technologies will be discussed at Riviera Maritime Media’s Smart Tug Operations Conference on 16 September 2019, in Singapore.
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