Winches ordered for US newbuilds, conversions

Harbor Docking and Towing has four vessels under construction and two undergoing retrofits with azimuth stern drive (ASD) propulsion. The family owned Louisiana-headquartered company has ordered ship-towing and escort winches from DMT Marine Equipment to be installed on these newbuilds and two tugboats it is renovating for harbour and terminal operations.

According to DMT, two winches have been delivered and four more are on order - two towing winches and two escort-class winches.

Harbor Docking and Towing has provided towage services in Lake Charles since 1955 and at Point Comfort, Texas, since 1986. Its tugs operate along the Calcasieu Shipping Channel in southern Louisiana and in New London, Connecticut. Its current fleet includes seven tractor tugs built between 2009 and 2019, with two of these being converted into ASD tugboats to support LNG carriers, while four new ASD tugs are under construction at a local shipyard.

Harbor Docking and Towing worked with DMT to tailor the winches for these tugs. “We asked a lot of questions, requested some adjustments to the drawings, and the DMT team was very accommodating,” says Harbor Docking and Towing president of John Buchanan. “The speed in which things moved was impressive and it has definitely been a positive experience.”

DMT reinforced its presence in the US with the delivery of two towing winches and the order for four more from the US owner. Its technical requirements were met with swift solutions.

“We asked for better braking capacity for some escort manoeuvres and an integrated level wind on one of the winches,” says Mr Buchanan. “Those engineering changes happened extremely quickly, and we were very happy with the outcome.”  

He says reliability is a critical factor in Harbor Docking and Towing’s equipment choices.

“On a harbour tug, the winch is the main piece of equipment,” says Mr Buchanan. “If it fails, the boat is out of service. That is why quality and dependability are so important to us.”

DMT works with US-based partner OBT International on these winch orders and ongoing service support. It adapts designs to meet changes in tug owner requirements and to ensure they are optimised for harbour and coastal towage.

On two tugs, Harbor Docking and Towing is changing Voith drives to azimuth thrusters in ASD configuration. “Transitioning from Voith drives to ASD is a strategic move that aligns with our long-term modernisation and operational excellence goals,” says Mr Buchanan.

Part of its fleet investment is focused on supporting Woodside Energy’s LNG production and export terminal that is under construction in the Port of Lake Charles. Louisiana LNG will be a three-train, 16.5M tonne per annum development with LNG exports expected to commence in 2029, when four tugs will be required to assist in ship escort, manoeuvring, berthing and undocking.