New RA Tug Delivered to South America

Bogazici A.S. of Turkey has recently delivered Amapola 1, the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar3000 tug, to International Offshore Engineering and Development Company, Panama for PDVSA of Venezuela. This new design rounds out the RAstar family of Terminal / Escort tugs, which to date encompasses lengths from 27-39m and bollard pulls of up 120 metric tons.

The RAstar Class are a series of ASD terminal support tug designs developed for berthing and unberthing large ships, particularly tankers, at exposed terminals. They provide tanker escort capability, emergency response, firefighting and oil recovery capabilities in the vicinity of oil and LNG terminals and in sensitive environments.

RAstar tugs incorporate a unique sponsoned hull form, which has been proven in both model and full-scale testing to provide significantly enhanced escort towing and seakeeping performance. Motions and accelerations are less than half those of comparable sized “standard” tug hulls.

The principal particulars of the Amapola 1 are as follows:
   •    Length overall, molded: 30 m
   •    Beam, molded, extreme: 12.6 m
   •    Depth, molded: 5.52 m
   •    Summer load draft: 4.2 m

The vessels have been built and classed to Bureau Veritas notation:
I  HULL, MACH, ESCORT TUG; FIRE FIGHTING SHIP 1 WITH WATER SPRAY, UNRESTRICTED NAVIGATION,  AUT-UMS, IWS

The tug was also designed to optionally comply with BV notations of “Salvage Tug” and “Oil Recovery Ship”.

The propulsion machinery consists of a pair of resiliently-mounted Caterpillar C3516C HD main engines, each producing 2,100 bkW at 1,600 rpm. This power is transmitted via straight line shafting to the Schottel SRP 1515 CP z-drives. On trials, the Amapola 1 exceeded all performance expectations with the following results:
   •    Bollard Pull, ahead: 72.2 metric tons
   •    Free Running Speed, ahead: 13.1 knots

Measurements indicate that the tug is in full compliance with IMO A.468 (XII) requirements for acceptable noise levels and ISO 6954:2000 for vibration.

To extend endurance at sea, the vessel has the following tank capacities:
   •    Fuel Oil: 178 m3
   •    Fresh Water: 25 m3
   •    Foam: 16.4 m3
   •    Z-drive oil: 1 m3
   •    Sludge: 4.2 m3
   •    Oily Water: 12.3 m3
   •    Main engine lube oil: 2.1 m3
   •    Sewage: 11 m3

The Amapola 1, illustrated in the accompanying General Arrangement drawing, has the following features:

Bridge Deck:
   •      Wheelhouse: arranged to provide maximum all-round visibility especially to the forward and aft working decks, with overhead viewing windows and a split console forward
Main Deck:
   •      Forward:
     -    Split drum, escort-rated hydraulic winch and double aperture staple
     -    Double row of cylindrical fenders for low contact pressures
   •      Aft:
     -    Dual drum hydraulic winch and double aperture staple and tow hook
     -    Tow pins and stern roller for offshore towing
     -    Knuckle-boom deck crane for stores handling
     -    Fi-Fi locker:  outfitted to store hoses, fittings, rescue equipment, SCBA air-packs, etc. commensurate with Fi-Fi 1 notation
   •      Mess / Lounge: comfortable seating area with entertainment center for the crew
   •      Officers accommodation with private washroom facilities
Below Main Deck:
   •      Crew Accommodation: four crew cabins each for up to two crew with ensuite lavatory facilities, a laundry, HVAC Room and access to Engine Room and the Engine Control Room and the rope store accessible from the main deck

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