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Tugboat Operators News

05 Mar 2024

Speed a Factor in Tug and Tanker Collision -NTSB

Damage to Mark E Kuebler stern hull and fendering system from the Nisalah propeller. (Source: NTSB)

A tugboat maneuvering near a transiting tanker in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel was drawn in toward the tanker, leading to a collision, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The tugboat Mark E Kuebler and the tanker Nisalah collided in the channel near Ingleside, Texas, on January 22, 2023. The tugboat’s hull was breached by the tanker’s propeller, which was also damaged in the collision. The collision resulted in nearly $7 million in damages. There were…

18 Sep 2023

OpEd: EPA Must Stop Unsafe and Costly California Maritime Mandate

© sheilaf2002 / Adobe Stock

California’s maritime sector is essential to America’s role in the global economy and to the supply chain. Yet, a mandate from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has cast a shadow over the safety and efficiency of this sector, which will have far-reaching effects on the nation.While CARB’s intentions to bolster air quality are commendable, and California’s maritime industry has a proven track record of working to lower emissions, the hasty directive for tugboat operators…

31 Jul 2023

Excessive Speed Leads to Tugboat Collision with Containership -NTSB

The George M (left) is pictured after the collision and the MSC Aquarius (right) is pictured in September 2022. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard (left) and Osvaldo Traversaro (right))

Excessive speed during an advanced harbor-assist maneuver led to a tugboat colliding with a containership in the Houston Ship Channel last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.The tugboat George M and containership MSC Aquarius collided on April 14, 2022, while the tugboat was positioning for a ship-assist maneuver and the containership was transiting north in the Houston Ship Channel. No injuries were reported. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged George M’s port propulsion unit.

15 Jun 2023

Foss Chooses Markey Machine for Winch Upgrades

Markey DEPC-32 Model aboard the Foss tug Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of Dan Riser, Foss Maritime)

Foss Maritime recently elected to refurbish two existing Markey winches aboard the Foss tug Hawaii.Though other options were considered, “these winches have been ideal for bringing the barge up tight against the stern of the tug,” noted Foss’ Danny Riser, Captain. “The brake-holding capacity of the 32s (Markey model DEPC-32) is well-suited for mounting on our 5200 HP Z-drive tugs. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Markey winches, so for us it was an easy decision.”The tandem electric models had served so well historically that only refurbishment made sense.

22 Nov 2022

Moran Towing Orders Tug Pair from Master Boat Builders

Image courtesy Master Boat Builders

Coden, Ala. shipbuilder Master Boat Builders on Tuesday announced it has executed a contract to build two new tugboats for Moran Towing Corporation based in New Canaan, Conn. Naval architect and marine engineering firm, Crowley Engineering Services created the tugboat design, which will meet U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter-M regulations and will be classed through the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The new tugboats will have an overall length of 86 feet, beam of 36 feet and produce a bollard pull of over 55 metric tons.

27 Jul 2022

Master Boat Builders to Construct New Tug for Suderman & Young

(Photo: Robert Mihovil, courtesy Master Boat Builders)

Master Boat Builders, Inc. on Wednesday announced it has executed a contract to build a new tugboat in its Coden, Ala., yard for Suderman & Young Towing Company of Houston, Texas. Master Boat Builders currently has three tugs under construction of a different design for Suderman & Young.Naval architect and marine engineering firm, Robert Allan Ltd. designed the tugboat, which will meet U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter M regulations and will be classed through the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The tugboat will have an overall length of 98’-6”…

21 Jul 2022

Bay Houston Towing Orders New Tug from Master Boat Builders

(Photo: Master Boat Builders)

Master Boat Builders, Inc. on Wednesday announced that it will construct a fourth new tugboat for Bay Houston Towing Co. The Coden, Ala. shipbuilder currently has three tugs under construction of a different design for the Houston-based owner.Naval architect and marine engineering firm, Robert Allan Ltd. designed the tugboat, which will meet U.S. Coast Guard Subchapter-M regulations and will be classed through the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The tugboat will have an overall length of 98’-6” feet, beam of 42’-5”, and produce a bollard pull of over 80 metric tons.

29 Nov 2021

New Battery Hybrid Tugboat Design Unveiled

MBB & RAL rendering of new ElectRA 3000-H battery hybrid tugboat design. (Image: MBB)

Master Boat Builders, Inc. (MBB), together with naval architect and marine engineering firm, Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) announced the creation of a new battery hybrid tugboat design, the ElectRA 3000-H. This design has been developed over the past several months to suit the evolving needs of U.S. tugboat operators.“This unique hybrid tugboat design is the result of a strong and growing working relationship between Robert Allan Ltd. and Master Boat Builders and it builds upon our…

27 Sep 2021

Master Boat Builders Building Two New Tugs for Suderman & Young

Rendering of Suderman and Young Towing Company tug being constructed by Master Boat Builders (Image: Master Boat Builders)

Master Boat Builders, Inc. on Monday announced it will construct two new tugboats in its Coden, Ala., yard for Suderman and Young Towing Company of Houston, Texas.Under a contract order signed in February 2021, Suderman & Young will receive two vessels scheduled for delivery starting in July 2022. This summer, Master Boat Builders laid the keel for the first of the vessels.The tugboats will have an overall length of 85 feet, beam of 38.5 feet, and produce a bollard pull of over 52 metric tonnes.

10 Jul 2020

Futureproof Tugs: Efficient, Sustainable and Automated

(Image: ABB)

Tug owners are cutting emissions and increasing automation. Subject to technology choices, ‘greener’ tugs are a global phenomenon today, while the autonomous tugs of tomorrow are starting to emerge. David Lee S,enior Account Manager, New Build, ABB Marine & Ports, discusses tugs of the future.Around the world, there is a growing appetite for hybrid and electric technology in tugboat operations. In the Asian and European towage markets, owners are responding to increasingly stringent regulations on air emissions in ports by investing in cleaner, more efficient propulsion.

24 Jul 2018

SPECIAL REPORT: GREAT LAKES BUSINESS and The Great Lakes Group

Embracing and spanning the full breadth of Great Lakes geography and business mix, GLG’s Joe Starck has his multi-missioned firm looking to the future – in more ways than one.The Great Lakes Group (GLG) takes its beginnings from its 1899 incorporation by industrial icon John D. Rockefeller, who formed the Great Lakes Towing to satisfy the demands of a Midwest industrial revolution that brought bigger ships to the region. Existing vessels, unable to keep up with demand, were supplemented and replaced by a fleet of as many as 100 tugboats; the first steel tugs in the region. GLG still has a tug that was part of that original operation.

22 Nov 2017

Connectivity for Brown Water Operations

Growing options emerge for ever-increasing data and Comms demand. In the United States alone, 625 million tons of cargo is transported along the more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways each year, moving vital commodities to and from 38 of the nation’s 50 states. The advent of subchapter M has raised the bar significantly for as many as 5,000 inland vessels, both in terms of safety and the need to document and more closely control this tonnage. At the same time, domestic coastal transport and offshore energy support vessels also face growing communications requirements.

26 Jul 2017

Baydelta Chooses Rapp Marine Electric Tow Winch

Photo: Rapp Marine

For several decades, Rapp Marine has designed and delivered towing winches for workboat market. Combining the best ideas from Rapp’s past work in the other commercial industries and recommendations from the tugboat operators, Rapp Marine has developed long lasting and dependable towing winches. These past towing winches have mainly been powered using hydraulic systems in the North American market. Rapp Marine has previously delivered electric winches to commercial vessels in other industries such as research, oil & gas, and fisheries for years.

25 Jul 2017

Op/Ed: The Real Story Behind the Attack on SMFF Regulations

Todd Schauer (Photo: ASA)

ASA Sets the Record Straight. The U.S. salvage industry came under attack at a recent Congressional hearing on May 3 by a special commercial interest that is promoting its own agenda. The American Salvage Association (ASA) intends to set the record straight. At the hearing, the attacking group made false allegations that the Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) resource providers are not willing or contractually obligated to respond and lack the resources to meet regulated response requirements. At the same hearing, this group also criticized the U.S.

03 May 2017

AWO Testifies on Carrier Alliance, Tug Negotiations

Tom Allegretti (Photo: AWO)

AWO testifies before Congress on dangers of foreign carrier alliances negotiating collectively with U.S. Tom Allegretti, President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators, testified before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on the dangers posed by the Federal Maritime Commission's (FMC) decision to allow foreign carrier alliances to collectively negotiate with U.S. tugboat operators. Allegretti also emphasized AWO's view that such agreements violate both the letter and congressional intent of the Shipping Act…

25 Jan 2017

FMC Commissioner Doyle Rejects Blanket Authorities for Foreign Ro/Ro Carriers

Commissioner William P. Doyle Votes to reject joint contracting authority for Ro/Ro foreign carriers to negotiate collectively for U.S.-Flag tug services. Doyle's Statement, shown below, says new rules go beyond the scope of the Shipping Act and shipping practices harmful to U.S. Today, I voted to disapprove the roll-on roll-off (Ro/Ro) WLL/Eukor/ARC/Glovis Cooperative Working Agreement amendment involving Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics AS (WWL), Eukor Car Carriers Inc. (Eukor), American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier LLC (ARC), and Hyundai Glovis Co. Ltd. (Glovis) (collectively Parties). This amendment filed with the Federal Maritime Commission seeks to broaden the authority of the Parties to jointly solicit bids for contracts covering the provision of tug services…

14 Sep 2016

Hanjin-chartered Ships Sold, More on Block

Three bulk carriers sold charter-free at about market rates. Two Hanjin container ships also up for sale. Three ships chartered to Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd have been sold and two more vessels are up for sale, ship brokers said on Wednesday, kicking off an asset sale sparked by the failure of the world's seventh largest container shipper. Around $14 billion of cargo has been tied up globally as ports, tugboat operators and cargo handling firms worried about not being paid refuse to work for Hanjin, which filed for receivership in a Seoul court on Aug 31. While some ships have been offloaded since then, bottlenecks are forming at some ports and truck yards as containers pile up.

13 Sep 2016

Hanjin Shipping Secures $45 mln to Rescue Stranded Cargo

Parent group transfers $36 mln to troubled shipper. It may cost over $150 mln to unload stranded cargo. The chairman of Hanjin Group transferred 40 billion won ($36 million) to Hanjin Shipping on Tuesday to help unload cargo stranded on the troubled shipper's vessels, a spokesman said, but regulators warned securing further funds could take "considerable time". The parent of Hanjin Shipping pledged last week to raise 100 billion won to help rescue cargo in the wake of the collapse of the world's seventh-biggest container shipper, including the 40 billion won from Chairman Cho Yang-ho. About $9 million pledged by Choi Eun-young, a former chairwoman of Hanjin Shipping, has also come in, the shipper said.

20 May 2014

Australia Aims to Avert Port Strike

Teekay Shipping took part in Australian government-sponsored mediation talks on Tuesday to avert industrial action by tugboat operators that could halt a quarter of global seaborne iron ore exports. There were no immediate comments on any outcome from the talks. BHP Billiton has previously warned that a strike by tugboat operators at Port Hedland on the Indian Ocean could cost up to $100 million in lost revenue each day. Deckhands, engineers and masters of the tugboats that guide vessels in and out of the port are pressing operator Teekay Shipping for more pay and leave. Deckhands, represented by the Maritime Union of Australia, last week approved plans to strike for one, two or seven days but have yet to decide whether to stop work. Any strike by them would have to take place by June 11.

08 Sep 2014

MTU, Fairplay to Test Diesel Genset with SCR for IMO Tier III

MTU diesel genset 16V 4000 with SCR exhaust aftertreatment for IMO Tier III emission requirements. The nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions will be cut by 90% compared with the IMO Tier I regulation.

The Rolls-Royce brand MTU and Fairplay Towage are to test an MTU diesel genset with SCR exhaust aftertreatment in a harbor tug in order to verify compliance with IMO Tier III emission requirements that come into force as of 2016. The nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions will be cut by 90% compared with the IMO Tier I regulation that was introduced in 2000. “This is one of the world’s first tests of high-speed diesel engines equipped with an SCR system designed to meet the NOx levels required by IMO Tier III,” said Dr. Michael Haidinger, Chief Sales Officer of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

09 Sep 2016

Hanjin Gets US Court Order, Cash to Unload Ships

File photo: Hanjin

A U.S. judge said on Friday he will grant Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd provisional protection from creditors in the United States, enabling some vessels to dock and unload at U.S. ports. South Korea's Hanjin asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Sherwood to issue an order that would prevent creditors from seizing Hanjin ships or property, and allow cargo owners to make arrangements to retrieve goods stranded in warehouses. Sherwood said he would sign the order later on Friday. Earlier, the company received authority to spend the money needed to dock at U.S.

02 Nov 2015

Sanmar Names Caterpillar ‘Engine of Choice’

A tug built by Sanmar Shipyards (Photo: Caterpillar Marine)

Caterpillar Marine’s dealer in Turkey, Borusan, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards for the supply of a range of propulsion units over the next three years. The LOI covers the supply of Cat propulsion engines and generator sets to Sanmar for their building program over the coming three years. At least 84 propulsion engines and 86 generator sets are expected to be supplied between now and 2018. These will include 26x Cat C32, 22x Cat 3512C, 36x Cat 3516C propulsion engines and 86x Cat C4.4 generator sets.

03 Feb 2015

New Tugboat Console Aims to Improve Ergonomics

Image: Alphatron Marine Group

JRC and Alphatron Marine have delivered new tugboat consoles for the new generation of Rotortugs. Offering full control from a sitting position and all-round visibility through full height windows, the Robert Allan designed ART 80-32 Hybrid tugs RT Evolution and RT Discovery have been fitted with the AlphaBridge tugboat console concept of tomorrow, a design study, performed by JRC/Alphatron Marine, together with tugboat operators from around the world. Working together with the yard and owner on how to optimize operations…