Blount to Build Icebreaking Tug for NYPA

Rhode Island shipbuilder Blount Boats said it has signed a contract with the nation’s largest state power organization to construct an icebreaking, all-welded-steel, diesel-powered, double screw tugboat.

The new vessel for the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will be built to operate in seasonal ice near the entrance to and within the upper Niagara River. This vessel will replace existing vessels in the NYPA fleet currently used for the installation, removal, and maintenance of the Lake Erie Ice Boom and various associated marine construction projects.

Naval architectural and marine engineering firm Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. developed the contract design and will provide technical oversight during the fabrication process on behalf of NYPA.

The 56’x18.5 shallow draft tug will be powered by two Caterpillar series C-9 engines, each 375 HP at 1,800 RPM.

The vessel’s hull, machinery, electrical systems and safety equipment will comply and, be inspected in accordance with USCG Subchapter M – Towing Vessels.

Delivery to NYPA’s facility on the Buffalo River Entrance Channel is scheduled for fall 2019.