New RAstar 3800-DF Dual Fuel Tug Delivered to Ningbo Port

Press Release – Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company Ltd. of Ningbo, China, has recently received delivery of Yong Gang Xiao Tuo 60, a dual fuel RAstar 3800-DF tug from Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard in China. This first ever RAstar 3800-DF tug is the 10th custom designed vessel by Robert Allan Ltd. in close collaboration with Ningbo Port Company. The vessel is also the first Robert Allan Ltd. designed dual-fuel tug to operate in China.

The new RAstar 3800-DF tug is powered by a pair of Niigata 8L28AHX-DF dual-fuel engines, each rated for 2,389 kW at 800 rpm, and driving Kongsberg US 255 CP 2.8 metre diameter controllable pitch Z-drives. Bollard pull recorded on trials met all expectations and is certified as 80.3 tonnes ahead. Recorded speed ahead is 13.5 knots.

The LNG tank and fuel gas system have been supplied by Gloryholder Liquefied Machinery (DL) Co., Ltd. of China. Gross capacity of the tank is 55 m³, which is suitable for a range of over 700 nautical miles in gas mode and can be supplemented by additional range of nearly 1,700 nautical miles in diesel mode.

The double drum hydraulic hawser winch forward is supplied by Singapore’s W-Rig, who are also supplying capstans for both the forward and aft decks, as well as the anchor windlasses. The tow hook aft is supplied by Mampaey.

A Fi-Fi 1 class off-ship fire-fighting system with pumps driven off the front of each main engine is also part of the tug’s outfit and capabilities, with equipment supplied by Norway’s Jason Engineering AS.

MLC 2006 compliant accommodations are provided for a crew of up to 10 persons in the two-level deckhouse, including 6 single occupancy officer cabins on the 2nd deck, plus two double crew cabins in the first tier of the deckhouse. The tug is outfitted with a full galley, and a large crew mess and lounge is a key feature of the accommodations.

The tug has been designed and built to China Classification Society (CCS) rules with the following notation:

?CSA Tug, Dual Fuel, Coastal Service, Fire Fighting Ship 1, ?CSM, ?BRC

Other particulars of the Yong Gang Xiao Tuo 60 are:

Main tank capacities at 100% are:

This latest delivery reinforces Robert Allan Ltd.’s leading position in the design of gas-fuelled tugs, with five such tugs now delivered to custom designs for three different owners in Europe and Asia, and another design already under contract for another three dual fuel tugs for a North American tug operator.

For more information on the RAstar series tugs, tugs operating on alternate fuel such as LNG, or any other Robert Allan Ltd. designs, please contact [email protected].