One US tug owner is adding tugs to its fleet and another is strengthening its executive team
Vane Brothers has increased its fleet with the delivery of Annapolis, the second of four Salisbury-class tugs it has on order to operate on North American inland waterways.
These tugs are being built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Maryland.
Annapolis has an overall length of 28.6 m, width of 10.4 m, moulded depth of 3.2 m and operating draft of 2.6 m. Its propulsion comes from two Caterpillar Cat 3512 engines that each develop 1,120-kW of power and comply with US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 emissions requirements.
Vane Brothers president Duff Hughes said these tugs are built to meet strict US Coast Guard-enforced Subchapter M safety requirements. “These purpose-built vessels maximise efficiency in their defined markets,” he said.
“We continue to invest in thoughtfully crafted tugboats and barges that operate to the highest standards demanded by our customers,” Mr Hughes added.
Crew on these tugs can use electronics from Furuno and Simrad and Rose Point electronic charting for safe navigation and barge pushing support.
The first tug of this new class, Salisbury, was delivered in 2019. The other two are expected to enter service later this year.
Meanwhile, Crowley Maritime has appointed Ray Fitzgerald as its chief operating officer after realigning its marine services organisation.
Mr Fitzgerald began his career with Crowley and most recently served as Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions president and chief operating officer and chairman of American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier.
He will rejoin Crowley on 1 March as chief operating officer with responsibility for managing Crowley Fuels, Crowley Logistics, Crowley Solutions and Crowley Shipping.
In January, Crowley re-organised its shipping group, splitting this into three distinct business segments: offshore services, ship assist and tanker escort and engineering services, appointing managers for each of these divisions.
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