A major Chinese tugboat and port operator has expanded its fleet with two more harbour tugs built at a domestic shipyard
Two azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs have joined the towage fleet in Guangxi Beibu Port, China as it experiences an increase in ship dockings.
These tugs were built by Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard group for Guangxi Beibu Bulk Port Towboat Co and delivered on 11 July.
Xin Beibuwangang 5 and Xin Beibuwangang 6 are ASD ship-assist tugs with 3,824 kW of power from their pair of diesel main engines.
These tug deliveries follow the introduction of a lower power towing tugboat in a nearby port at the end of May 2019.
Zhenjiang Shipyard delivered Xin Beibuwangang 15 to Beibu Gulf Port Co on 30 May. This is an ASD tug with 2,942 kW of propulsion power.
Also in May 2019, Zhenjiang Shipyard delivered two ASD tugs to Tianjin Port Tug Co as the first vessels built to China classification society CCS’ notation of Intelligence.
Jin Gang Lun 31 and Jin Gang Lun 32 each have systems for monitoring fuel and vibrations. Zhenjiang Shipyard said the delivery of these two intelligent tugs “symbolises a substantial breakthrough in upgrading from automation to intelligentisation in Chinese ASD tugboats”.
Zhenjiang Shipyard is involved in other areas of shipbuilding. It launched a 1,200-tonne floating dock on 1 July for the Made Island Port developed in Myanmar as part of China’s energy co-operation framework with that nation.
In June, Zhenjiang Shipyard launched and named Kwangyang Harvest, a 4,650 dwt cargo ship for Jiangsu Sumec Marine Co.
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