New Tug Delivered to Vane Brothers
Delaware (Photo: Vane Brothers)
Delaware (Photo: Vane Brothers)
Delaware (Photo: Vane Brothers)
Marine transportation provider Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the newly built tugboat Delaware, the fourth of eight vessels in Vane’s Elizabeth Anne Class of 4,200-horsepower tugs contracted through St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla.
Designed by Frank Basile, P.E., of Entech Designs, LLC, the Delaware is a steel-hulled, model bow tug measuring 100 feet long with a 34-foot beam and 13-foot draught. She utilizes two Caterpillar 3516 Tier 3 (“A” Rated) engines, each generating 2,100 horsepower at 1,600 rpm. Two John Deere PowerTech 4045, 99 kW generators deliver service power to the boat; a third John Deere 4045 drives the Intercontinental DD200 towing winch.
Along with ample headroom, sound-deadening material and other creature comforts, all Elizabeth Anne Class tugs benefit from such features as bigger and more robust firefighting systems, a top-of-the-line Unlimited Controls alarm system, and the newest SIMRAD Electronics package installed by Rhodes Electronics. Spacious accommodations are available for up to seven crewmembers.
Primarily tasked with towing petroleum barges engaged in the North Atlantic coastwise trade, the Delaware is one of two dozen vessels that make up the company’s Philadelphia-based Echo Fleet. The three previous Elizabeth Anne Class tugboats, all of which were delivered in 2016, are among 20 vessels assigned to Vane’s Delta Fleet, also working out of Philadelphia.
The series’ next tug, Philadelphia, is scheduled for delivery in February, followed by the remaining three Elizabeth Anne Class vessels expected to arrive in intervals before year’s end.
“Midway through our contract with St. Johns Ship Building, we are thrilled with the high quality of the four Elizabeth Anne Class tugboats that are now hard-working members of the Vane fleet,” said Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes. “The Delaware and her three sister tugs bring heightened performance, crew comfort and safety to the ocean-service towing sector. We look forward to more of the same from the four remaining tugboats being delivered by St. Johns later this year.”
