Two U.S. Flag Tugs Recently Sold

Marcon International has announced to report the recent sales of the following two U.S. flag tugs as sellers continue to upgrade their fleets.

The U.S. flag, 4,800 HP twin screw, flush-deck, articulated pusher tug “Java Sea” has been sold by Kirby Offshore Marine of Houston, Texas to private buyers. The tug was originally built by the well-respected Main Iron Works of Houma, Louisiana as the “Patriot” (Hull 360) - a 3,000 HP, EMD 12-645E6 powered, conventional twin screw tug with a raised 49.3’ height of eye pilothouse. She was operated briefly by Interstate Oil Transportation out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was acquired by Sonat Marine Inc. of New York. At that time the tug was mated up with their 10,700 dwt, 368.0’ x 66.0’ x 26.5’ petroleum barge “Sonat 81.” In 1987, Sonat was acquired by Maritrans Operating Partnership of Tampa, Florida who continued to operate the “Patriot” until 1998 when she was acquired by K-Sea Transportation of New Jersey and renamed “Java Sea”.

K-Sea converted the tug to an ATB by fitting a JAK-400 coupler systems in 2002 and repowered her with the present 6-cylinder Wartsila 6L26s developing 4,800HP at 1,000 RPM and Reintjes 5.56:1 gears in Spring 2004.

The tug is fitted with four blade fixed pitch props in Kort nozzles and four flanking and two steering rudders. Ship’s power is provided by two 212kW / John Deere 4045 generators. K-Sea was acquired by Kirby in 2011 and operated until 2017 when phased out of active service in Seattle, Washington. “Java Sea” is classed ABS +A1, Towing Service, +AMS, Unrestricted through September 2020 and was laid up in active class at the time of the sale.

Marcon acted as sole broker and represented both buyer and seller in previous transactions. Marcon has sold or chartered nine tugs totaling 45,010 HP so far this year and 357 tugs totaling 1,145,697 HP over the last 38 years.