SLSDC Orders 60' Harbor Tug
The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC) has placed an order for a newbuild ASD (Z-drive) harbor tug to be delivered by Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc. of East Boothbay, Maine.
Craig Middlebrook, Deputy Administrator of the SLSDC, said, “This new vessel will be used to carry out a variety of construction and maintenance duties for the US portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, including routine maintenance of lock gates, maintenance and positioning of aids to navigation, ice management and removal of accumulated ice from lock walls.”
The HT-60, the smallest in the Harbor Tug series developed by Glosten, a US based naval architecture firm, is slated for delivery in 2021.
According to Glosten, the HT-60 is designed to capitalize on the operating advantages afforded by a broad bow form with a semi-raised foc’sle deck and full visibility and winch controls from a single operating station in the pilothouse. To perform its intended work functions in ice, the hull has been ice-strengthened to ABS Ice Class C0 standards.
The Z-drive units are powered by a pair of EPA Tier 3 diesel engines turning carbon fiber shafts for a combined 1,320 BHP at 1,800 RPM.
At 60' overall, the tug is right-sized for maneuvering inside lock chambers, with a wide 28' beam to improve performance in ice and enhance stability for deck crane operations, Glosten said.