Island Tug and Barge’s Island Raider is the first of a new breed of articulated tug-barge units that will transport petroleum around western Canada
With the inclement weather and rough seas around western Canadian shores, a series of new articulated tug-barge (ATB) units was required to transport oil in the region. Island Tug and Barge (ITB), a subsidiary of Tidewater Canada, has built two of its own tugs and barges for this purpose and christened the first, Island Raider, in September.
This tug, along with sister vessel Island Regent, was built at ITB’s own Annacis Island construction facility along the Fraser River in British Columbia. They will be brought into service to transport barges with petroleum cargoes along the British Columbia coast, around Vancouver Harbour and in the Puget Sound.
Once the 384-tonne hulls were finished at Annacis Island, they were lifted on to a heavy transport barge and shipped down the Fraser River. The barge was operated by Dynamic Heavy Lift and the transportation project was in partnership with Mammoet.
Both ATB tugs were built to a Robert Allan design with Cummins main engines and Rolls-Royce propulsion. They have an overall length of 24 m and beam of 12.5 m.
Island Raider was unloaded in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet in June, where it was fitted with deck equipment, completed and commissioned. After being delivered in September it was mobilised to be paired with ITB’s double-hulled oil tank barge ITB Resolution to form an ATB unit with a fully loaded speed of 10 knots.
Island Raider will be connected to the barge through an Articouple FRC 35S pin coupler with hydraulic pins that allow the tug to pitch, but not roll.
It is powered by two Cummins KTA38M engines that produce 634 kW each at speeds of 1,800 rpm. Island Raider has carbon-fibre shafts that connect the engines to two Rolls-Royce Z-drives. These are US105 FP azimuthing thrusters with a four-blade in-nozzle propeller of 1,600 mm diameter. Also inside the engineroom are two John Deere 4045 AFM85 generators, producing 99 kW of electrical power each. There is a Kidde FM200 fire extinguishing system in the machinery space.
The wheelhouse includes navigation equipment supplied by JRC Alphatron, including radar, electronic chart display, weather station, bridge navigation watch alarm system, magnetic compass and automatic identification system. Cobham Satcom supplied the Sailor VHF radio.
Island Raider’s accommodation is for eight people in six cabins, although a standard crew will be four people. This accommodation has Norac wall and ceiling panels and Sika vibration and sound dampening floors to minimise noise. It is air-conditioned and heated to compensate for varying environmental conditions this tug will operate in. Other facilities include a stainless-steel finished galley and large mess deck, exercise room, laundry room and office.
Island Regent is scheduled to be delivered in February 2019 to join 11 other tugs in the ITB fleet. This company transports refined petroleum products along the west coast of Canada and into Alaska on a fleet of 20 barges. ITB also undertakes bulk fuel transportation, specialty towing, is involved in marine logistics and has a marine services and subsea construction business.
Island Raider particulars:
Owner: Island Tug & Barge
Builder: Island Tug & Barge
Designer: Robert Allan
Type: Sea-going ATB
Operating area: West Canada
Length: 24 m
Beam: 12.5 m
ATB full-load speed: 10 knots
Engines: 2 x Cummins KTA38M
Thrusters: 2 x Rolls-Royce Z-drive US105 FP
Genset: 2 x John Deere 4045 AFM85
Accommodation: 8 people
Wheelhouse electronics: JRC Alphatron
Communications: Cobham Satcom
ATB coupler: Articouple FRC 35S pin
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