Caterpillar has teamed up with thruster suppliers Veth and Schottel on Robert Allan-designed tug newbuildings. For three new tugs being built in Bulgaria, Caterpillar is supplying diesel engines and generator sets while Veth is providing Z-drive units.
Shipyard MTG Dolphin in Varna, Bulgaria, is building three RAmparts 2700 design tugs for domestic shipowner Navigation Maritime Bulgare (Navibulgar). The first of these 27.6m tugs, Alcor, was delivered in July and has a bollard pull of around 40 tonnes and a free running speed of 13 knots.
The main propulsion of these three tugs is a pair of CAT 3512C diesel engines, each rated 1,350kW at 1,600 rpm. These each drive a Veth VZ-1250A Z-drive unit that has a 2,000mm diameter fixed pitch propeller. The electrical plant consists of two CAT C7.1 diesel generator sets, each with a power output of 118 ekW at 50Hz.
Caterpillar is supplying the engines and Schottel the propulsors for four terminal and escort tugs being built by Gulf Island Shipyards in USA. These will be Robert Allan-designed Z-Tech 30-80 tugs that will be operated by Bay-Houston Towing Co and Suderman & Young Towing Co.
These will have Caterpillar 3516E engines that comply with the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier4 requirements. These will power Schottel SRP 510 Z-drive units, enabling these tugs to generate bollard pulls of 80 tonnes and a minimum speed of 13 knots.
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