Two tugs delivered and two launched from Chinese shipyard

Chinese ports need new tugs as they expand and handle larger bulk carriers, container ships and gas carriers, and more powerful tugs are required with modern towage and fire-fighting technology and the ability to tow fore and aft, leading to a continuous stream of newbuilding orders for local shipyards.

Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard is a leader in constructing harbour tugs for Chinese ports and operators. It has delivered two azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugboats to an unnamed owner this month.

These tugs have an overall length of 36.5 m, breadth of 10.4 m and hull depth of 4.8 m and will be used for terminal operations and fire-fighting with speeds of 14.3 knots.

Featuring ASD propulsion with a total power of 3,676 kW, these tugs have bollard pull ahead of 62.5 tonnes and astern bollard pull of 56.7 tonnes. Fuel oil storage gives them a voyage range of 1,000 nautical miles and they have FiFi class fire-fighting systems.

In February, Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard launched two different ASD tugs for another domestic port by lifting them out of drydock, also featuring FiFi systems for fire-fighting, but their installed power will be higher, at 3,824 kW. The shipyard said the shipowner’s representative attended the tugs’ launching ceremony.

Just before the New Year celebrations, Zhenjiang Shipyard in Jiangsu Province started block assembly for two ASD tugboats for Zhangzhou Gulei Tugboat Group. One of these will have installed power of 2,942 kW and the other 3,680 kW.

This shipyard delivered four tugs in January 2021.

On 16 January, Zhenjiang Shipyard delivered two ASD tugs with fire-fighting capabilities to an unnamed operator. Each vessel has a total power of 3,676 kW providing a bollard pull of 61 tonnes ahead and 54.4 tonnes astern, and a top speed of 14.25 knots. These 36.5-m tugs have a beam of 10.4 m, hull depth of 4.8 m and fuel capacity to operate up to 1,000 nautical miles.

They were completed a week after the shipyard delivered two ASD tugs for Zhoushan Gangxing on 9 January. These 39.9-m tugs, Gang Xing Tuo 235 and 236 each have 2,942 kW of power and a beam of 10.4 m. They have a top speed of 13.1 knots, bollard pull astern of 51.8 tonnes, ahead of 46.3 tonnes and endurance of 1,000 nautical miles.

Tug operations, propulsion technologies, safety and stability issues will be discussed during Riviera’s first ITS TUGTECHNOLOGY Webinar Week on 29-31 March - use this link for more details and to register for these webinars