New Tug Joins McAllister Towing Fleet

McAllister Towing has taken delivery of Rosemary McAllister, the second in a series of four 100’ x 40’, 80 metric ton bollard pull tugboats. The new vessel, the 32nd tractor tug in McAllister’s fleet, was completed at Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City, Fla.

The Rosemary is powered by 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines with twin Schottel SRP4000FP units. Packed into her 100’ x 40’ hull is 6,770 horsepower. She has already exceeded expectations as she achieved 82.75 metric tons during her ABS bollard pull certification. The Rosemary joins her sister vessel, the Capt. Brian A. McAllister, as one of the earliest EPA Tier IV tugs on the U.S. East Coast. Combining her power with a Markey class III escort winch on the bow and a Markey 2 1/4" wire towing winch on the stern puts the Rosemary at the head of her class of shipdocking tugs. State of the art remote controlled fire monitors and deluge systems (ABS FiFi certified) complete the package, making the tug a total escort /shipdocking/rescue vessel.

The Rosemary McAllister is bound for McAllister Towing’s operation in Virginia. Captain J. Elliott Westall, McAllister’s Vice President and General Manager, said, “She will make a huge difference in Hampton Roads. We have seen a major increase in the arrivals of ULCV’s, and this tug with her power will be able to expertly handle the largest vessels in the market today. With her tethered escort abilities, the Rosemary will be a real game changer. Bring on the 1,500’ containerships; McAllister and our team are ready!”

The Rosemary McAllister is named after the matriarch of the company. Rosemary is Chairman Capt. Brian A. McAllister’s wife and mother to President Buckley McAllister and CFO Eric McAllister.

Eastern is building both remaining tugs in the series. The Ava McAllister is due in January 2019 and the Capt. Jim McAllister is due in May 2019.