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US owners upgrade inland tugboat propulsion systems
Two US tugboat owners are upgrading vessels to prolong their lifetime of operations, improve efficiency and cut emissions
The Dutra Group and Shaver Transportation are renovating propulsion and power systems on tugboats in H2 2024 to prolong their operational lives and reduce emissions.
Marine construction and dredging company Dutra Group is about to repower twin-screw tugboat Sarah Reed with new engines and auxiliary equipment to upgrade it to comply with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 3 emissions standards. This 1981-built vessel is used to tow barges along the West Coast and was at Oakley, California in November 2024, according to automatic identification system (AIS) data.
Naval architects Glosten are involved in this repower project, having already conducted a feasibility study to see if the existing channel coolers could accommodate the all-mechanical EPA Tier 3 engines Dutra had selected.
“After proving this would be possible with the addition of a plate heat exchanger and raw water pump, we developed the documents for the modifications to Sarah Reed, which also include a new air supply, exhaust and auxiliary systems to support the new equipment,” Glosten explained in a social media post.
It said the repower project will begin in December 2024 and this 137-gt, 19-m tugboat will return to service in Q1 2025.
Glosten also supported Shaver Transportation Co to replace propulsion on 1999-built tug Willamette. Shaver replaced twin Aqua azimuth drives with a new set of Z-drives and upgraded controls on this 158-gt, 27-m tugboat.
“Our team assisted Shaver with modifications to the tug to accommodate the new propulsion units and provided control integration services to incorporate the new machinery into the rest of the vessel systems,” said Glosten.
“We also took the opportunity to stiffen the stern of the vessel and replace the existing Z-drive guards with more streamlined versions which reduced vibration and resulted in gains in speed for the tug.”
Willamette is part of the Shaver fleet, assisting ships and barges to safely navigate the Columbia River and along US West Coast’s inland waterways
In other projects, Glosten designed a workboat that is under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders for the Port of Portland, which will replace tugboat WL Williams, to support dredging operations. This newbuild will be equipped with push knees and a full suite of Markey Machine electric winches, making it suited for towing and pushing pipeline strings and barges.
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