Image courtesy Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Marine has signed a contract to deliver highly efficient engines and propulsion systems for the world’s first Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) powered tugs.

The two vessels have been ordered by Norwegian company Buksér og Berging AS and will enter service in late 2013 for Statoil, the international energy company, and Gassco, the operator of the gas transportation network off the Norwegian coast.

Robert Løseth, Rolls-Royce, Senior VP – Merchant, Propulsion Systems and Engines said:

This is a breakthrough for our Bergen gas engines and cutting edge propulsion technology. The choice our customer has made highlights the industry leading engine performance, fuel consumption and low methane emissions that Rolls-Royce can offer, which is now being applied to tugs.

In addition to two gas engines and a single LNG tank, Rolls-Royce will deliver a mechanical direct driven azimuth propulsion system for each tug that will provide the quickest response time for manoeuvring; which is critically important for tug operators. The combined power and propulsion system will also enable the lowest possible fuel consumption in all operating modes. Rolls-Royce will also provide automation and control systems for the two escort vessels.

Commercial Director at Buksér og Berging AS, Vetle Sverdrup said:

We wanted to base the design of the new tugs on the spark ignition lean burn engine concept, and the ability to accommodate direct drive in addition to a low emission profile. The propulsion system on high performance escort tugs needs to accommodate rapid load pick up over the entire load range. Due to the above we chose to work closely with Rolls-Royce on this project

The scope of supply for Rolls-Royce in this contract is:

• 2x US35 Aquamaster
• 2x Bergen C6 Ing engines, mechanical drive
• RR Acon control and monitoring for gas system
• 1x AGA Cryo LNG tank with LNG system based on two coldboxes

The LNG system is designed by AGA Cryo and integrated with the Rolls-Royce propulsion system. This single tank LNG system has got full gas redundancy approved by NMD (Norwegian Maritime Directorate) i.e. no diesel back up is required.

Operational Benefits:

• Cleaner engine room
• Less waste oil and no “switch over” problems
• Easier to service
• Less maintenance required

The gas engines can operate on low load with out any restriction and have a very quick and step less ramp up time from 0 to 100% load.

Bunkering:
The fuel system is designed for weekly bunkering intervals and the bunkering time is estimated to be 45 minutes. Bunkering will be carried out by the ship’s crew.

Nox emissions are lower at low engines loads, which are the reverse trend of most diesel engines, making it the optimal solution for tugs which are spending most of the time at lower engine loads.

Environmental Benefits Of Spark Ignited Gas Engines:

• 92% reduced NOx emission
• 17% reduced GHG emission
• 98-100% reduced SOx emission
• 98% reduced particulates
• No oil spill during bunkering
• No oil spill in ship engine room bilges
• No sludge from purifiers
• No FO waste-/leak oil
• No FO oil spill, reduced Fire Risk
• Long-term compliance with local port regulations and potential benefits from taxation/green port dues
• Compliant with Tier III regulations

The vessels are designed by Buksér og Berging AS together with Marin Design AS in Kolvareid, Norway. The project was developed in close contact with Rolls-Royce giving Rolls-Royce a unique opportunity to understand and adhere to operational requirements. The vessels have the following specifications:

• Loa:    35.00m
• Lpp:    30,54m
• Bm:     15.40m
• Draft:   7.50m
• Accommodation for 7 persons

The tug Yong Gang Tuo 29 has recently been delivered to her new owners, the Ningbo Port Group of China. This is the 7th Robert Allan Ltd. design in Ningbo’s fleet and the first of the RAmparts 3300 class worldwide. The design is an evolution of the RAmparts 3200 class vessels already in Ningbo’s fleet, and is a result of a recognized need to increase power and bollard pull to meet the expanding requirements of the larger ships visiting the port. Hence this new RAmparts 3300 design is 1 metre longer in order to accommodate the upgraded propulsion system.

The vessel was built by Zhenjiang Shipyard Co. Ltd. of China, specifically for the ship-handling operations in the Ningbo Port area and is classed by the China Classification Society.

Particulars of Yong Gang Tuo 29 are as follows:

On trials the vessel performed exceptionally well, achieving a sustained mean Bollard Pull of 76 metric tonnes ahead, with a free-running speed of 13.5 knots.

Tank capacities in this version of the RAmparts 3300 design are as follows:

Configured as a twin Z-Drive ship-docking tug, main propulsion is by a pair of Niigata 8L28HX diesel engines, each rated 2,206 kW at 750 rpm, and each driving a Niigata ZP-41 drive unit.

The Yong Gang Tuo 29 is equipped with a Karmoy M060481 Hawser winch on the foredeck, driven by an independent electro-hydraulic power pack located in the engine room. The aft deck features a fixed towing staple and a quick-release, pivoting tow hook.

Electrical power is provided by two identical diesel gen-sets, each rated at 100 kWe.

Ship handling fenders comprise an 800 mm cylindrical fender above a row of 450 mm “W” block fenders. A 400mm cylindrical fender provides protection at the main & foc’sle deck sheer lines, in conjunction with aircraft tires. A 450 mm “W” block fender protects the aft quarters. The accommodation has been outfitted to the highest standards for a normal operational crew of 4, with berthing for up to 14. The main deck features cabins for the master and chief engineer, along with a spacious galley and mess areas. The lower deck features 2 cabins of 6 crew and a dedicated HVAC room.

This new RAmparts 3300 class tug is the latest member of the RAmparts family – a series of standardized Z-drive tug designs, each developed from a successful prototype. The vessels are identified by length; e.g. the RAmparts 3000 is 30 metres in length. Each design is individually configurable for a variety of tasks, including; ship-docking, escort, harbour towing, coastal towing, fire-fighting and pollution response. A range of main engine powers and propulsors can be accommodated to meet the specific requirements for each application.

The Ellen McAllister. Photo: McAllister Towing

By Ralph Gardner Jr.

I needed help understanding my serious tugboat fixation. So I turned to someone who I thought might be able to offer some insight, who might even share my minor passion for these workhorses of the sea—Joseph O’Toole, captain of the tug Ellen McAllister.

I inquired whether he’d loved them as far back as he could remember, the way I did. I realize I was being presumptuous, assuming he liked them at all—so what if he skippered one for a living? For all I knew, familiarity breeds contempt, even toward tugs. But it’s my suspicion that many people harbor affection for these little vessels. As opposed to an ocean liner—certainly the current generation, which look more like floating condos than boats—a tug is something you can wrap your imagination around, that you can imbue with all the virtues you wish were easier to uncover in your fellow citizen; they’re competent, uncomplaining, powerful but self-effacing, always ready at the rescue.

Captain O’Toole didn’t jump at the opportunity to join me in the tug lover’s chorus when I floated the idea that my relationship with tugs—and, I wondered, his?—was most likely formed in childhood, and possibly through children’s books. “I grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania,” he explained, “the anthracite region. The closest I got” to the water “was the Schuylkill River, and it was only 3 feet deep.”

But wasn’t there some kid’s classic that starred a lovable tug? Or maybe I was conflating several other stories—”The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge”; “The Little Engine That Could”; “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.”

“Books never thrilled me,” the skipper stated inauspiciously.

He explained that he’d developed his familiarity with tugboats during a 24-year Navy career. “I ran these tugs,” he said. “This is an old Navy tug converted into a twin Z-drive.”

Apparently, he meant that the boat’s single “screw,” or propeller, had been replaced by two others that had the ability to rotate 360 degrees. (“They’re highly maneuverable,” said Captain Patrick Kinnier, the port captain for the boat’s owner, McAllister Towing, whose vessels have been plying New York Harbor since 1864. “My comparison would be a fixed-wing aircraft versus a helicopter. It can hover, feather, reverse thrust for backing up.”) Indeed, we were witnessing some of those capabilities at that very moment, as the tug helped pull the gigantic Chinese container ship Yang Ming away from its Newark dock and into Newark Bay.

I was dealing with something of a learning curve. When I boarded the Ellen McAllister, at the company’s dock just across the water in Staten Island, I was handed a life vest and told to report to the kitchen to watch a safety video. Apparently, tugs have the potential to be quite dangerous; the video addressed scenarios such as extinguishing onboard fires and becoming acquainted with the “man overboard” alarm (three long blasts of the ship’s signal). And, whatever you do, never, ever straddle a towing line, which can carry hundreds of thousands of pounds of tension. The video included a very painful-looking simulation of what can happen to tug tourists, such as myself, who do.

When I emerged from the video screening we were already alongside the massive container ship—its hull looming a half-dozen stories above us, its tightly stacked containers another half a dozen beyond that. I wasn’t aware that we’d already dropped off Bob Ellis, McAllister Towing’s pilot, at the boat. Now on the Yang Ming’s bridge, it was Mr. Ellis, rather than the ship’s captain, who was issuing instructions over the radio to our tug, at the ship’s stern, and to a sister tug at its bow.

“We’re going to have to help her around the turn,” Captain O’Toole explained, referring to the point of land that led under the Bayonne Bridge. “We’ll push the stern around. Most ships won’t make it on their own. It’s greater than a 90-degree turn.”

At that point, the tug’s work would be mostly done, except to retrieve Mr. Ellis from the Yang Ming. “He’ll go through the Kills and from there he’ll go to sea,” the captain said of the container ship, and referring to the Kill Van Kull, the strait between Staten Island and Bayonne. Midway through the exercise, he turned the wheel over to Josh Kicklighter, the 26-year-old—but even younger-looking—second skipper on board.

“He replaces me at noon,” Captain O’Toole explained. “I work six to 12. He works 12 to six.”

The crew works two weeks straight and then gets two weeks off, returning home. To my surprise, none of them reside in the New York metropolitan area. When here, they stay on board the tug. “I live in Florida,” Captain O’Toole said. “Josh lives in South Carolina. Daniel lives in Florida. Luke lives in Maine.”

Daniel was Daniel Worrie, a deckhand originally from Jamaica who doubles as the tug’s chef and answers to the name Joe. “We named him Jamaican Joe and he liked it so he kept it,” Captain O’Toole explained. Luke was Luke Hutchinson, the ship’s taciturn but talented engineer.

I asked whether Joe was a good cook.

“He tries hard,” the skipper answered.

What does the typical menu look like?

“Jerk chicken and meat loaf,” Captain O’Toole reported. “Jerk meat loaf. Everything is jerk pretty much. If you don’t like spicy you don’t want to eat here.”

The crew doesn’t make it into Manhattan much, to take advantage of the city’s cultural offerings. “Our job is pretty much 24 hours a day,” Captain O’Toole said, as the 148-foot-tall Yang Ming ducked under the 151-foot Bayonne Bridge. (“At low water you get an extra four and a half,” the captain explained. “We were probably four feet [away] when we went under the bridge.”) The tug nudged up alongside it to retrieve Mr. Ellis. “New York doesn’t stop,” the captain said. “We don’t get a chance to hardly do anything. It’s hard to get food for the boat.”

We turned back and headed toward McAllister’s docks as the Yang Ming continued toward Sandy Hook and out into the open ocean. “He’s going to Norfolk, Virginia,” the captain said. “He’ll hit a few ports on the East Coast, go through the Panama Canal. But he’s too wide for that—the maximum is 965 feet by 105 feet wide. That guy is 132 feet wide. He’ll probably go to Europe, through the Suez, and to the Far East that way.”

(c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Today, the USCG has published its notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) for the towing vessel industry, with hopes to establish a firm set of safety regulations governing the inspection, standards, and safety management systems of towing vessels.  The NPRM includes provisions covering specific electrical and machinery requirements for new and existing vessels, the use and approval of third-party auditors and surveyors, and procedures for obtaining Certificates of Inspection.  The notice also solicits comment and information on potential requirements for hours of service or crew endurance management for mariners aboard towing vessels.

Here is the full press release from the USCG, and the NPRM can be dowloaded HERE.

On June 26, 2011, the Tug Aries sunk in the Bering Sea, about 109 miles East of St. Paul Island. After the crew managed to get from the sinking tug to the barge they were towing, Captain Doug Pine pulled out his iPhone and began taking footage of the rescue. All four members of the crew were safely rescued by the USCG. The Aries was a 68-ft tugboat owned by C&K Marine and was towing a barge bound for Nome, AK when she sunk.

Click here to view the embedded video.

IRSHAD, a joint venture between ADNOC and Lamnalco, have taken delivery of their latest high-performance terminal support/escort tug from Astilleros Balenciaga SA, of Zumaia, Spain. The Alaryam is the latest delivery of the widely acclaimed RAstar Class true escort tug designs from Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects of Vancouver, BC., but in fact was the first tug of the RAstar series ever designed. The design was the subject of an extensive series of model testing to prove the concept.

This RAstar 3600 Class vessel was designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including ship-handling, LNG and Oil tanker escort, fire-fighting and oil spill response/recovery duties. The RAstar class hull form ensures the highest standards of both escort towing capability and superior sea-keeping in the heavy sea conditions encountered in these operations.

The Alaryam is classed for unrestricted duty and accordingly was built to Lloyd’s Register of Shipping Class: 100 A1 Escort Tug, Fire-Fighting Ship 1 (2,400 m3/hour), Occasional Oil Recovery Duties LMC, UMS, EP, MCM, and in full compliance with SOLAS and International Loadline regulations.

The particulars of the new tug are as follows:

Length Overall     – 35.80 metres
Beam, Moulded     – 13.50 metres
Depth, Moulded     – 5.92 metres
Operating Draft, Maximum     – 5.87 metres
GRT     – 656

Tank Capacities are:
Fuel Oil     – 284 m³
Potable water     – 30 m³
Fi-Fi foam capacity     – 32 m³

Propulsion comprises a pair of Wärtsilä 8L26 diesel engines, each rated 2600 kW at 1000 rpm, and each driving a Wärtsilä model CS275 controllable pitch Z-drive unit. With this propulsion system, the vessel performance satisfied all expectations, with a recorded Bollard Pull of 84 tonnes and a free-running speed of 14.7 knots.

The Alaryam is very well-equipped for its various towing and escort duties: the fore deck is fitted for typical ship-handling and escort work, with a Karmoy double-drum hawser winch, Karmoy tow-pins and Karmoy anchor windlasses. The winch features a towline render / recover system for escort operations and has capacity for 200 and 150 metres of 76 mm diameter high strength towline.

The aft deck is fitted with a 100 tonne SWL towing bitt and Mampaey towing hook. Also fitted are a 10 tonne capstan, and a hydraulic knuckle-boom deck crane of 15 tonne-metre capacity.

The Alaryam is outfitted to the highest standards for an operating crew of up to twelve (12) persons. Facilities on board include spacious crew rooms for the full complement in two (2) single cabins, each with individual en-suite toilet and shower facilities, and five (5) spacious double cabins. Public spaces include a generous combined lounge/mess area and a fully equipped and modern galley.

In common with the majority of Robert Allan Ltd. designed tugs, a great deal of attention was paid throughout the design process to mitigate the propagation of noise and vibration. This includes the essential resilient mounting of the main engines, isolation of all exhaust system components, and the extensive use of visco-elastic floating floor systems throughout.

The layout of is illustrated on the accompanying General Arrangement drawing.

Illustration courtesy Robert Allan Ltd.

Source: Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects

Photo via Fastcompany

So what’s the easiest way to get fresh drinking water to the billion+ thirsty people of the world?  Well, according to French engineer Georges Mougin, the key may lie in the freshwater icebergs of the arctic.  Using today’s 3-D technology, satellite data, oceanic forecasting and tugboats, Mougin believes the task is more feasible than ever, and he should know…

In the 70′s, Mougin starting working with Saudi prince Mohammad al-Faisal on a business venture called “Iceberg Transport International”.  Their business plan? To tow a massive arctic iceberg using sailcloth and plastic to the Red Sea.  Needless to say, outlandish costs ultimately led to the companies demise.  Today, some 35 years of technology advancements later, Mougin is still at it and his ideas may just be more possible than ever.

His system can be boiled down into 3 simple yet extremely technologically advanced steps:

Step 1: Find the right iceberg, not too big, but not too small either.
Step 2: Wrap a geotextile “skirt” around it.
Step 3: Tow it before it melts.

Read the full details at Fastcompany.com.

The TVNCOE’s Vision and Mission statements are:

Vision
The Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise is the Coast Guard’s forward thinking component on the towing vessel industry to keep all program stakeholders well-prepared to handle current and future needs.

Mission
Maintain trained experts in the towing vessel industry to serve as in-house consultants to the Coast Guard and as participants in technical forums and decision-making collaborations, provide technical advice to both the industry and the Coast Guard, and increase and maintain the Coast Guard’s collective competency and capacity to professionally engage with the towing vessel industry.

Values

Our work is guided by the Coast Guard’s enduring core values of Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. We are further guided by these three areas of emphasis:
•    People – Safety is our priority.
•    Excellence – We are professionals that strive for excellence in everything we do. We seek solutions that are both elegant and safe. Some of our best work is done when we wipe the slate clean and apply our knowledge in ways that depart from tradition.
•    Teamwork – There is often no one best answer. Our decisions and efforts need to be collaborative.

The most important line in the Vision and Mission statement is: “to professionally engage with the towing vessel industry.” As mariners, we can taken advantage of this commitment by fully utilizing the resources that are presently available on the website.

Imagine your day beginning like this: Your office has just informed you that the USCG examiner is on the way to the boat. Great. This could be a stressful day, or it could be a walk in the park. A lot of how the day goes is determined by how much you know.

So, where are you on the bell curve? Are you at least as knowledgeable as the examiner is about what’s in store for you today? Probably not, is my guess. So, take advantage of the opportunity to gain that knowledge by pointing, clicking, and downloading. For example, do you rush to make sure that your required publications are all up to date by grabbing the latest Local Notice to Mariners and the scissors and tape and getting busy? If you’re familiar with CG-Policy Letter 10-05 you don’t. Why? Because when you go to http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/TVNCOE/Documents/policyletters/10-05PolicyLTRElectronicNavPubs.pdf (Click to download PDF) you’ll learn that you can keep all your pubs now in electronic format (excluding nautical charts, of course).

Are you familiar with all the NVICs that apply to towing vessels? Do you know what a NVIC is? You’d better! You can find a whole list at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/TVNCOE/NVICs.asp.

Do you have knowledge of what resources guide the examiner while he examines your boat (and you)? You don’t? So do something about it. Find out right here: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/TVNCOE/Toolbag.asp.

There is much, much more available on the TVNCOE website. It’s yours for the asking. Always remember, the informed mariner is the successful mariner. Level the playing field by utilizing this resource.

Capt. Doug Pine is actively involved in classroom and simulation training of tug boaters. He holds several pieces of paper that qualify him to do so, including a Master of Towing Vessels Oceans and Western Rivers. Capt. Pine is also a certified Designated Examiner for the Towing Licenses. Capt. Pine lives on an island somewhere in Puget Sound. He can be contacted via his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/doug.pine.maritime.consulting

The economic downturn slowed port activity in 2009 and 2010, with fewer freighters as well as cruise and other ships needing the assistance of tugs to escort them in and out of B.C. harbours.

But tug companies tied to the forest industry suffered the greatest impact, as the business of towing logs or chip barges along the coast dried up significantly in many areas.
“Our industry probably had a decline of 30 per cent in business,” said Capt. Phillip Nelson, president of the Council of Marine Carriers, a tug and barge industry association that represents 43 tugboat companies and several affiliate members. “And some companies lost a lot more business than that.

“On some days, every vessel some companies had were tied up,” added Nelson, who noted that 350 tugs ply B.C. coastal waters with about 2,000 employees.

“The forest industry is the biggest customer of the towboat industry on the West Coast, so when that’s in decline our members have to look for new [business].”

As well, he noted: “As consumers buy less goods, there’s [fewer] ships moving them around from the world market into the port of Vancouver.”

Despite the gloom, Nelson said business is on the rebound and is now only about 15 per cent below pre-recession levels.

“I think the industry is fairly optimistic about 2011,” he said. “The economy is growing and some companies have diversified into other types of cargo.”

As well, companies are starting to rehire, more boats are back out on the water and deals are being made.

Continue Reading…

The tugboats, which measure 96 feet in length and 34 feet in beam, are the fifth and sixth hulls of this class of tugs to enter service with Bisso. These Rolls-Royce US205MK2 Z-drive tugs are powered by twin Caterpillar 3516-C Series II main engines that produce a total of 4,000 BHP – driving Schottel ASD propulsion units – and are fitted with a Markey hawser winch forward and a Markey capstan aft.

“We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to Bisso,” said Jonathan Parrott, Jensen’s vice president of new design. “We are confident these vessels will suit the needs of the company and will have long and productive service lives.”

These work boats are the latest in a line of tugs that Jensen has designed for Eastern Shipyard, which built the tugs in Panama City, Fla. Since 2001, 17 tugs of this class have entered service with a variety of operators and can be seen on the water from Galveston, Texas, to Portland, Maine. Installed power for this class of tugs has ranged from 4,000 to 6,000 BHP, with bollard pulls in excess of 75 short tons.

Source: Jensen Maritime Consultants