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North American owners turn to low-emissions tugs
Shipyards in the US and Canada have completed several escort-class harbour tugs, as ports and terminals are expanded and larger ships welcomed
Owners in North America welcomed newbuild tugs in Q1 2026 as demand for marine services increased in expanding ports, driven by rising energy exports.
In the US, Master Boat Builders was busy launching and completing newbuild tugs for various domestic owners in the first three months of this year, as operators expand their fleets in Gulf Coast ports.
The latest delivery by the Coden, Alabama-headquartered shipbuilder was 28-m harbour tug, Jill, built for Gulf LNG Tugs operations to handle gas carriers in Port Arthur, Texas.
The ABS-class tug was constructed to Robert Allan Ltd’s RApport [2800 design with a beam of 12 m and 85 tonnes of bollard pull, with twin diesel engines linked to an exhaust aftertreatment system for compliance with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 emissions standards.
Gulf LNG Tugs is a joint venture between US owners Bay-Houston Management, Bay Towing, Moran Towing and Suderman & Young Towing.
The partnership operates at four LNG terminals along the US Gulf Coast and has more than 400 years of combined experience in ship assistance and towage services.
“We have delivered a vessel that is not just a milestone in a series, but a powerhouse designed to meet the highest standards of safety and performance in the industry,” said Master Boat Builders president, Garret Rice.
It has deck machinery ready to escort, tow and manoeuvre gas carriers and a FiFi1 firefighting system for emergency response during terminal support operations.
In early April, Master Boat Builders launched Saturn as the first H500 series tugboat it will be delivering to Texan owner, Suderman & Young Towing.
"A powerhouse designed to meet the highest standards of safety"
Four 30-m, ABS-class escort tugs are being built for the owner to Robert Allan’s RApport 3000 design, with accommodation for six crew members, a beam of 13 m, a bollard pull of 90 tonnes and a top speed of 13 knots.
Propulsion for each consists of two diesel engines with a combined power of 5,220 kW, compliant with the EPA Tier 4 standards, driving two azimuth thrusters on the stern.
This newbuilding programme comes as Suderman & Young is expanding its fleet and marine services in two ports in Texas, Brownsville and Isabel, near the Mexican border.
In late March, Master Boat Builders also launched Marauder, the first of eight tugboats being built for Maritime Partners.
These 27-m tugs will be classed by ABS as escort tugs with automated machinery systems, underwater inspection in lieu of drydocking, FiFi1 firefighting capabilities and twin engines that comply with EPA Tier 4 requirements. All eight of these tugs are under some phase of construction after the shipyard started cutting steel on the eighth vessel in April.
In Florida, Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) launched the second of four 26-m escort tugs it is building for Seattle, Washington-headquartered Saltchuk Marine, with the first close to completion.
These tugs are being built at ESG’s facilities in Allanton and Port St Joe for ship escort and towage across the US West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska. The first was launched in December 2025 and the second in April 2026 by crane lift from the shore to a quayside at the shipyard.
“These four vessels set a new maritime standard that will positively impact the industry by meeting new rigorous environmental requirements.” said Saltchuk Marine president and chief executive, Jason Childs.
They are being built to Robert Allan’s RAmport 2600 design with a moulded beam of 13 m, a moulded depth of 4 m, navigation draught of 6 m and accommodation for eight crew members.
Their propulsion consists of two Caterpillar-manufactured Cat 3516E main diesel engines, each developing 2,610 kW at 1,800 rpm, and compliant with EPA Tier 4 regulations, driving two Schottel rudderpropellers of type SRP 510.
Saltchuk’s new tugs will have a bollard pull of 86 tonnes and a top speed ahead of 12 knots. They feature a Markey Machine single-drum, class II hawser winch, with 56 kW of type DEPGF-52.
Moran’s latest fleet addition, 395-gt, 28-m J. Themistoclis Moran, is operating in Beaumont, Texas, after its delivery in early 2026. This 28-m tug was built to Robert Allan’s RApport 2800 design with a 12-m beam, and two Cat 3512E diesel engines, compliant with EPA Tier 4 standards, driving two Kongsberg US 2055 azimuthing Z drives with a fixed-pitch propeller.
In Q1 2026, McAllister Towing mobilised its latest newbuild harbour tugboat, Gerald McAllister, from the shipyard in New England to expand its fleet supporting ships calling at terminals in New York.
It is the fifth in a six-tug series of 84-tonne bollard pull tugs that Washburn & Doughty Associates is building in Maine for the New York-headquartered owner.
This ABS-classed, 28-m tug has 5,050 kW of installed power from two Cat 3516E, EPA Tier 4-compliant engines, driving two Schottel azimuth Z-drives.
Canadian newbuilds
Ocean Industries has delivered the third of four 24-m harbour tugs it is building for the Royal Canadian Navy at its shipyard in Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec, Canada, with the fourth scheduled for completion in Q4 2026.
Canadian Forces auxiliary vessel (CFAV) Canso left the shipyard in January and started operations in Halifax in March 2026. It followed delivery of CFAV Haro and CFAV Barkerville in 2024 and their deployment in Esquimalt, British Columbia.
Ocean is building these naval tugs to Robert Allan’s RAmparts 2400 design and with a bollard pull of 60 tonnes and a top speed of 12 knots, coming from two Everllence-manufactured 12-cylinder 12V 175D-MM high-speed engines, with CFAV Stella Maris still under construction.
In Q1 2026, Ocean received a contract extension to build two more of these tugs, with deployment of CFAV Sansum in Esquimalt and CFAV Belle Isle in Halifax anticipated in 2027 and 2028.
Forillon Shipyard delivered 12-m tugboat HollyAnn to Quebec-headquartered Centurion Foundation. It has twin Cummins QSL9 engines, each rated at 250 kW, a beam of 4 m and a draught of 2 m. This 14-gt tug can be transported on a single flatbed lorry.
The 28th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in association with Caterpillar, 19-21 May 2026. Use this link for more details of this industry event and the associated social and networking opportunities.
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