RAstar 3200 for Mauritius Ports Authority

Robert Allan Ltd. has added yet another vessel to its popular RAstar 3200 Series design, this one constructed by Hong Kong’s Cheoy Lee Shipyards for the Mauritius Ports Authority.

The RAstar 3200 terminal support tug, Sir Edouard, was delivered August 21, 2016 for operation in the country’s economic, cultural and administrative centre of Port Louis.

The tug is named for Prof. Sir Edouard Lim Fat Kt, a well-known Mauritian personality equally noted for his contributions to the country’s growth and developmentat times of instability as for hispersonal qualities, particularly his sense of fairness in the face of injustice.

Particulars of the Sir Edouard are as follows:
Length overall:        32.00 m
Beam, moulded:        12.80 m
Depth, moulded (hull):    5.37 m
Maximum draft:        5.49 m (navigational)

The tug was designed and constructed to Bureau Veritas requirements with the following notation:
BV CLASS I, HULL, MACH, TUG, AUT-UMS, UNRESTRICTED NAVIGATION
Major tank capacities are as follows:
Fuel Oil:                  134 m3
Potable Water:         25 m3

On trials, Sir Edouardmet or exceeded all performance expectations, with the following results:
Bollard Pull, ahead:                79.6 tonnes
Free running speed, ahead:    13.8 knots

The vessel has been outfitted for a normal operating crew of six. The Master’s and Chief Engineer’s cabins are located on the main deck, with two additional double crew cabins located on the lower accommodation deck.

The deck machinery comprises a ship assist split drum hawser winch on the bowwith drum capacity of 150 m of 80 mm synthetic line, and a tow hook on the aft deck.

The wheelhouse is designed for maximum all-round visibility with the forward control station providing an excellent view of both fore and aft deck working areas.

Main propulsion comprises a pair of CAT 3516C HD diesel engines; each rated 2240 kW at 1800 rpm, driving a Schottel, SRP 4000 fixed pitch Z-drive unit in ASD configuration.

The electrical plant comprises two (2) identical Caterpillar C4.4 ship service gensets, each with a power output of 69 ekW.
Ship-handling fenders at the bow consist of one1000 x 650 cylindrical fender at the bulwark level, with a row of 500x450 mm “W” block type fenders on the hull below. 150 mm “D” type fenders provide protection at the main deck sheer line, and 500x450 mm “W” block type fendering is used at the stern.

The RAstar offshore/escort tug designation is reserved for this unique series of ASD tugs, designed with a 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. This class of tug was selected by the Client in order to best cope with the sea conditions existing outside the main harbour entrance and to provide an enhanced escort capability keeping pace with the demands of the growing port.