Specialties Cornerstone of Canadian Market
The past decade was a tough one for the Canadian shipbuilding market. It was a decade that produced a decline of both employment and decline of newbuilds, many of which were contracted in the late 1980s still awaiting construction. This unfinished business was concentrated mostly on various military projects that had been thought out but were never actually followed through. It is estimated that by the time the 1990's came to a close that Canadian yards had experienced the worst decade since postwar times with total sales declining by about 50 percent since 1991. In addition, total employment in the industry has broken off by about 50 percent from 12,000 workers in 1990 to today's figure of 5,000.
Robert Allan Awarded Tug Contract
Brusco Tug & Barge, Inc. of Longview, Wash. has awarded of the construction contract for a new 78 ft. (23.8 m) Z-drive tug to Diversified Marine, Inc. of Portland, Oregon. This new tug is the seventh in the series of the ASD 23/35 high-performance, low-manning tug design developed by Robert Allan Ltd., and incorporates several new features reflected in the ongoing development of this class of modern high-performance ship assist tug. The most significant change to the design is the increase in power installed in this tug design since its initial development over 20 years ago. The tug has been increased to provide greater stability, and the fendering system has changed significantly to reflect both the higher power, and changes in fender and hawser technologies.
Construction Contract Awarded for New Z-drive Tug
Brusco Tug & Barge, Inc. of Longview, Wash. has announced the award of the construction contract for a new 78 ft. Z-drive tug to Diversified Marine, Inc. of Portland, Ore. This new tug is the seventh in the series of the ASD 23/35 high-performance, low-manning tug design developed by Robert Allan Ltd., and incorporates several new features reflected in the ongoing development of this class of modern high-performance ship assist tug. The most significant change to the design is the increase in power installed in this tug design since its initial development more than 20 years ago. As a consequence of the higher power, the beam of the tug has been increased to provide greater stability and the fendering system has changed significantly to reflect both the higher power…
