Cat Powers Brusco's New Tugs
Caterpillar Marine recently signed a contract to supply its solutions for the next generation of Brusco Tug and Barge’s new tugs. The first tug was delivered in December 2019, and the second vessel will soon be under construction at Diversified Marine Inc. (DMI), in Portland, Ore., featuring a bollard pull of 84 short tons and complete system integration by Caterpillar Marine.Caterpillar Marine’s West Coast territory sales manager Enrique Aponte said, “This vessel will change the escort tug market…
ABB’s First Azipod D Unit Begins Operation
An 8,000 kW rescue tug, the first vessel installed with ABB’s Azipod D electric propulsion system, has been delivered by Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard to customer Guangzhou Salvage Bureau, a division of the Chinese Ministry of Transport. Before delivery, the rescue tug was tested in sea trials where it exceeded design targets in bollard pull, fuel economy, maneuverability and low-load performance, ABB said. The vessel’s captain, Shaohua Liu, said, “We are really impressed with the vessel’s performance. Response time and maneuverability, both of which are critical in our operations, are excellent.
Wärtsilä Steerable Thruster Gets Class Approval
DNV-GL approved the design of the Wärtsilä WST-14 thruster, significant as approval was granted based on a thruster design that has yet to be introduced into full series production. The approval by DNV-GL follows the release of Wärtsilä's next generation of thrusters at the end of 2013. The new WST-14 is part of the Wärtsilä Steerable Thruster (WST) compact series, which is aimed at tugs, anchor handling vessels, and coastal and inland waterway cargo vessels. The series is also designed so as to comply with the latest environmental regulations, such as the US EPA VGP 2013 requirements.
Thrustmaster Announces Factory Expansion
Thrustmaster of Texas, a manufacturer of commercial marine propulsion products, signed a deal last week to expand its Houston-based production facility by 100,000 sqft (93,000 sq m). Thrustmaster said the multimillion dollar investment has been in the making for two years and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2015 by Third Coast General Contractors. The project includes plans to double the size of the product testing area, add an onsite paint and blast facility, develop a new fabrication shop…
Wärtsilä Introduce New Steerable Thruster Series
The new Wärtsilä Steerable Thruster series (WST) is being introduced to replace the company's Modular Thruster and Compact Thruster series, while the new Wärtsilä Transverse Thruster series (WTT) is replacing the current range of transverse thrusters. The new products have been developed in response to changing market demands, requiring competitive thruster products which are more efficient and cover a wider power range. This major product development project was launched by Wärtsilä's Propulsion R&D already in 2011.
