Tugz International News

Designed by Jensen Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and built by the Great Lakes Shipyard of Cleveland, Ohio a 74-foot workboat is quickly making a name for itself; in and out of the water. The “HandySize” Class Tug was designed to fill the niche between the 2,400 to 3,200 HP market for harbor workboats, fireboats, and construction operations and coastal towing, too. The Tug model 2800 is powered by two Cummins QSK38,1400HP diesel engines rated at 1800 rpm, providing a total of 2,800 HP – or in order words, just right for those niche tasks assigned to a Great Lakes workboat.

Tugz International LLC, an affiliate of The Great Lakes Group, , entered into a Purchase Agreement for a new HandySize 2,800 hp tug with Red Cape Marine Corporation, a Puerto Rico based company. The tug is a new class of tugboats being constructed in The Great Lakes Towing Company’s new Great Lakes Shipyard facility in Cleveland, Ohio. The tug departed the yard on October 23, 2010 bound for St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The tug will be used in the Caribbean in the intra-island movement of a 30,000 bbl oil barge. The tug purchase price is confidential. A new more powerful HandySize 3,200 hp tug is now under construction at the Great Lakes Shipyard facility, Cleveland, Ohio, for delivery in April, 2011.

The Great Lakes Shipyard recently started manufacturing tugboats and barges in its new state-of-the-art shipyard facility in Cleveland, Ohio. The first tugboat to be constructed in a U.S. domestic shipyard on the Great Lakes for foreign buyers was sold to Electrica S.A. of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. When delivered to Honduras in September 2008, the tug will be used in the Port of Puerto Cores, a principal port located on the north coast of Honduras at the beginning of the Pan American Highway System connecting Honduras with the other countries of Central America.

Great Lakes Shipyard has successfully completed seatrials of the “HANDY-ONE”, the first tug of the new HANDYSIZE Class to be delivered to TUGZ International, LLC, the well-known and successful owner and charterer of a fleet of Z-Class tractor tugs. Both the new HANDYSIZE Class and the Z-Class tugs were designed for Tugz by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle. The sea trials, including speed and endurance trials were performed in the icy waters of Lake Eire under freezing winter conditions.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued an Order of Investigation and Hearing with regard to exclusive tug arrangements in Port Canaveral, Florida. The agency also issued an Order to Show Cause to the Canaveral Port Authority, directing the port authority to show cause why it should not be found in violation of the Shipping Act of 1984 for its refusal to consider the application for a tug and towing franchise in the port filed by Tugz International. Source: HK Law

Following months of intense scrutiny, financial due diligence, background checks and equipment review, Ronald C. Rasmus, president of TUGZ International, LLC, is confident his firm meets or exceeds all requirements for securing a franchise permit to provide tugboat and towing services at Port Everglades, Fla. If the franchise is awarded, TUGZ will be the first tug company to compete against Hvide Marine at the Fort Lauderdale port, one of the busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. "Despite its size as Florida's largest port and 5,809 ship calls a year, Port Everglades remains the only major, diversified port in the United States that limits its tug service, by government franchise, to a single tug company," says Mr. Rasmus.

Following months of intense scrutiny, financial due diligence, background checks and equipment review, Ronald C. Rasmus, president of TUGZ International, LLC, is confident his firm meets or exceeds all requirements for securing a franchise permit to provide tugboat and towing services at Port Everglades, Fla. If the franchise is awarded, TUGZ will be the first tug company to compete against Hvide Marine at the Fort Lauderdale port, one of the busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. "Despite its size as Florida's largest port and 5,809 ship calls a year, Port Everglades remains the only major, diversified port in the United States that limits its tug service, by government franchise, to a single tug company," says Mr. Rasmus.

Following months of intense scrutiny, financial due diligence, background checks and equipment review, Ronald C. Rasmus, president of TUGZ International, LLC, is confident his firm meets or exceeds all requirements for securing a franchise permit to provide tugboat and towing services at Port Everglades, Fla. If the franchise is awarded, TUGZ will be the first tug company to compete against Hvide Marine at the Fort Lauderdale port, one of the busiest ports on the eastern seaboard. "Despite its size as Florida's largest port and 5,809 ship calls a year, Port Everglades remains the only major, diversified port in the United States that limits its tug service, by government franchise, to a single tug company," says Mr. Rasmus.

TUGZ International, LLC, an owner-charterer of the Z Class, 4,000 hp multipurpose U.S. flag reverse tractor tugs designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, is introducing a new Jensen designed tug to fill the niche between the 2,000 - 3,000 hp tug market for harbor work, fireboats, and construction operations as well as for coastal towing. The newly designed Handysize Class describes the new tug design as just the right size, just the right power, environmentally sound, fuel efficient and versatile enough to accomplish most tug jobs at the lowest operating cost. This series of tugs will be built at TUGZ’s affiliate Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio. The shipyard recently opened new state-of-the-art facilities for tug and barge construction.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued two orders relating to its Order to Show Cause issued to Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) for alleged violations of the Shipping Act of 1984 for refusal to consider the application for a tug and towing franchise filed by Tugz International. The first Order

Tugz International L.L.C., an affiliate of the 101-year old The Great Lakes Towing Company, and a member of The Great Lakes Group, announced Tuesday that the Broward County (Florida) Board of County Commissioners, by a 6-3 vote, awarded Tugz a tugboat and towing service franchise for Port Everglades, Florida. This action put an end to the 43-year monopoly on tug service in the port previously held by Seabulk International, Inc., formerly known as Hvide Marine, Inc. "We are really excited about the opportunity to serve this growing, dynamic port," said Tugz President, Ronald C. Rasmus. "The Z-Drive tractor tugs we are providing for Port Everglades…

Tugz International L.L.C., an affiliate of The Great Lakes Group, christened three "Z" Class multi-purpose reverse tractor tugs at MARCO Shipyard, Seattle, completing the second phase of the company's fleet expansion and upgrade program, which now exceeds $30 million. The christening ceremony marks the 100 year anniversary of The Great Lakes Towing Company, whose early shareholders included John D. Rockefeller and James R. Sinclair. Z-Three, Z-Four and Z-Five, as the tugs are called, will be operated under a U.S. Navy contract to provide harbor towing services at the U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Designed by Jensen Maritime Consultants, Seattle, the 95 x 32 ft.

Seattle's MARCO shipyard has been completing a rush job for Great Lakes Towing affiliate TUGZ International and is expected to have three new tractor tugs ready for christening by February 13. At the same time, the yard has just started to cut steel for two slightly larger tractors being built for San Francisco-based BayDelta. The latter will measure 105 ft. and will be powered by twin Caterpillar diesels of 4,400 combined hp driving Ulstein Z-drive units fitted with high-performance Nautican nozzles. Towing winches and headline winches will be provided by Burrard Iron Works Ltd of Vancouver, B.C. The three TUGZ boats, to be christened Z-Three, Z-Four and Z-Five, are 95-ft., and will also make use of Caterpillars turning Ulstein z-drives.

Timberland Equipment Ltd./Almon Johnson Ltd., in cooperation with TUGZ International, has completed the deck equipment for TUGZ Z-1, Z-2 and Z-3. Each new tug has been supplied with a Johnson Type Series "650" Double Drum Hawser Winch, designed to store 450 ft. of 2.25 in. diameter synthetic rope and brake holding of 350,000 lbs. On the aft of each tug will be a Johnson Type Series "651" Single Drum Towing Winch with a storage capacity of 2,000 ft. of 2 in. diameter IWRC wire rope with a linepull of 60,000 lbs. and a brake holding of 300,000 lbs. Both winches will run on a Johnson Type Electro-Hydraulic Power Unit mounted below-deck.