It has been a busy four weeks for Chinese tug construction as domestic owners ordered more vessels for expanding local ports
Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard group has started constructing four azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs so far this month and one at the end of August. This followed the launch of two tugs and delivery of three more in the final week in August.
It takes between three and nine months between lifting and launching a tug and its delivery to the client, which means there will be a burst in deliveries in H1 2020.
Zhenjiang Shipyard’s latest tug lift and launch was for Liaoning Longyun Shunze Tugboat Co. This 4,475-kW tug was lifted to the quayside at the shipyard on 12 September, will be named Bao Hang 6 and will have an ASD propulsion configuration.
The four tugboats the shipyard began constructing this month include two on 5 September for Guangxi Beibuwan Tugboat Co, which will be ASD tugs with 2,942 kW of installed power.
The previous day, Zhenjiang Shipyard started cutting steel on two other ASD tugboats for Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co, built to support tankers at an oil terminal in the port and for emergency response with FiFi1 class fire-fighting systems to be installed. These tugs will each have total power capacity of 3,730 kW.
Jiangsu Zhenjiang group made progress on a major Chinese marine transportation project with the launch of a pusher tug and transportation vessel for the One Belt and One Road project COSCO Shipping is driving for bulk transportation.
At the end of August, Zhenjiang Shipyard launched the first pusher tug for this project, with power of around 2,690 kW of power.
Then, on 1 September, it lifted and launched the fourth bulk transportation vessel.
On 30 August, Jiangsu Zhenjiang group delivered two ASD tugboats for an owner outside China and started cutting steel on a new ASD tug, with 2,646 kW of power, for a domestic owner.
This followed the delivery of ASD tug Cao Port 28 to Caofeidian Tugging Services Co on 28 August. This towing tug has 2,660 kW of power and will operate in Tangshan Port.
In September, Jiangsu Zhenjiang group laid the keel for two navigation and security vessels, named Haixun 16601 and Haixun 16602, and delivered a floating dock for the Made Island Port development, part of the One Belt and One Road project.
August was otherwise quiet for tug deliveries and launches. However, in July, Zhenjiang Shipyard delivered four tugs and launched hulls for two fire-fighting tugs.
It completed, azimuthing tugboat Oritselaju 10 to a 3300 AVIC design for a Nigerian shipowner and delivered tug Cao Port 27 to support docking operations in Tangshan Port.
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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