In late 2009, the Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) was awarded a contract by Servicios Industriales de la Marina (SIMA) PERU S.A. to deliver the design and class package, and detailed construction engineering for two identical pusher tugs. The tugs will be owned and operated by the Panama Canal Authority, which selected SIMA to build the tugs to GPA’s design in a competitive procurement process. Both tugs will be constructed at SIMA’s Chimbote shipyard, located in Chimbote, Peru, with construction for the first tug expected to commence in late 2010.
The 97.4-fttugs, destined to support dredging operations in the Panama Canal, are equipped with two GE medium speed 12V228 main engines rated at 2,630 hp each and two ship’s service generators at 135kW each. Two stainless steel propellers in Kort nozzles produce 55MT bollard pull (ahead), while bollard pull astern will be 36MT.
The deck on the tugs is kept clear above the engines for ease of removing the engines if necessary, an unusual feature for a vessel of this size. The sightlines fore and aft are excellent as the operator places a high premium on visibility from the wheelhouse.
The vessels, which have day accommodations for six crewmembers, will bear the class notations ABS, +A1 Towing Vessel, +AMS, ACCU.