Crowley Swaps US West Coast Tugs
Crowley Marine Services said it will relocate the tugboat Veteran to the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach to service all vessels, including large petroleum tank vessels with deep drafts greater than 65 feet calling on Long Beach Berth 121.
With a bollard pull rating of over 90 short tons, the powerful Veteran is better suited to serve the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) that are calling more regularly in Long Beach. Tesoro and the Long Beach Pilots are now requiring a tug with a minimum bollard pull rating of 90 short tons be placed on the stern when assisting these tankers in and out of Berth 121.
“We are responding to this need by relocating the tug Veteran from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Complex to replace the tug Goliah,” said Mark Homeyer, Crowley’s general manager of ship assist and tanker escort services.
Goliah will join Veteran’s sister tug, Valor, in San Francisco. Both Valor and Veteran were designed by Crowley’s naval architecture and marine engineering firm, Jensen Maritime of Seattle.
Goliah recently completed a shipyard period, during which her Z-Drives were replaced with larger drives to leverage the increased Tier 3 engine power; the escort winch was replaced with a state-of-the-art render recovery winch; fendering was upgraded, and her bollard pull was increased to over 70 short tons.
“The Goliah has always been one of the most capable offshore towing tugs on the West Coast,” Homeyer said. “With these improvements, she will be an even more stout and capable tug for harbor assist, tanker escort and offshore rescue work in the Bay Area.”
“Ultimately these changes will provide our shipping customers with the best tug capabilities in these major California markets – from a ship assist, tanker escort and emergency rescue perspective,” Homeyer said.