Newbuilds boost US harbour towage

Diversified Marine delivered low-emissions tugboat Artemis, with 5,220 kW of power, to Brusco Tug & Barge in July 2023 and it went on long-term charter to Crowley Shipping. This is the fourth Hercules-class harbour tug built by the shipyard and it is operating in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in California where some of the world’s largest container ships dock.

This 23-m tug has a bollard pull of 96 tonnes from two Cat 3516 engines, meeting EPA Tier 4 emissions standards, and it has a double-drum ship escort winch on the fore deck, fire-fighting equipment and Furuno radar. Diversified Marine has previously built similar tugs Athena, Apollo and Hercules for Brusco Tug & Barge and Crowley.

“Artemis will not only offer the most power for its size like its sister vessel Athena; it showcases our dedication to providing environmentally efficient services while maintaining the highest standards of performance and reliability,” says Crowley Shipping vice president Paul Manzi. 

Artemis is the 11th tug Diversified Marine has built for Brusco Tug & Barge and the sixth in Crowley’s fleet.

Signet Shipbuilding & Repair, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, was completing two 299-gt tugs built to Robert Allan’s advanced Rotortugs 92-32W design for Signet Maritime Corp. Signet Sirius was delivered in Q3 2023, and Signet Capella is expected to enter service in November 2023, both to support ship handling and construction work in the Port of Corpus Christi and shipping channel. 

Washburn & Doughty also completed utility tugboat Seaway Trident for Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway Development Corp in Q2 2023. This was built in East Boothbay, Maine, to Glosten’s HT-60 design to provide year-round operations within the locks in the St Lawrence Seaway.

This 20-m vessel features an ABS Ice Class C0 hull, a towing winch from Markey Machine, a foldable deck crane from Heila Cranes and a beam of 9 m. Its propulsion comes from two Caterpillar C18 diesel engines, producing a combined 970 kW at 1,800 rpm to power two Schottel Z-drives. Glosten provided a contract-level design package and onsite support during vessel construction.

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.