Newest Robert Allan-Designed Tug Makes Transatlantic Delivery to Carbones del Cerrejón

On 25 January 2013, the Media Luna, a newly-built AVT 3000 Class Voith Schneider tug sailed into Puerto de Bolivar, Colombia after voyaging under her own power across the Atlantic from Turkey.  She was designed and built for Columbian open pit coal mining company Carbones del Cerrejón.

This is the first of a two boat order for the AVT 3000 Class Tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd and built by Uzmar Tug and Work Boat Factory in Izmit, Turkey.

The Media Luna will replace the Riohacha as part of Cerrejón’s fleet renewal program. The sister vessel Cabo del Vela is expected to be delivered to Cerrejón’s Puerto Bolivar marine operations in March of this year.

The AVT 3000 was designed to meet Cerrejón’s requirements for performance, propulsion equipment, accommodations, tank capacities and outfit. She features a partial raised foc’s’le for operation in rough weather and a large functional aft working deck for efficient ship handling operations. Designed for a bollard pull of 60 tonnes, she will be the most powerful tug in the Puerto Bolivar fleet.

Particulars of the Media Luna are as follows:

Length overall: Beam, moulded: Depth, moulded: Maximum draft (overall):

– 30.75 m – 12.0 m – 4.80 m – 6.2 m

The tug was designed and constructed to BV Class requirements with the following notation:

BV 1,  HULL,  MACH, TUG, Unrestricted Service

Tank capacities are as follows:

Fuel oil: Potable Water: Main engine lube oil: VSP lube oil: Hydraulic oil: Sludge Tank: Grey Water: Sewage holding tank: Foam:

– 182.0 m³ – 35.0 m³ – 4.4 m³ – 2.2 m³ – 2.2 m³ – 4.8 m³ – 4.0 m³ – 9.6 m³ – 12.2 m³

The vessel has been outfitted to high standards for a crew of 4 people. The main deckhouse contains the galley, mess, and two officer cabins with shared en-suite. The lower deck contains 1 double berth cabin, a laundry, galley stores, and a common WC space. The wheelhouse is designed with frameless bonded windows for minimum window mullion obstruction and a single split control station which provides maximum visibility for both ahead and astern operation with excellent visibility over the aft working deck. A pilot boarding platform is provided at the bridge deck level. The engine room features a small sound resistant switchboard room. A workshop and stores area is located in the aft hold.

Main propulsion consists of a pair of General Electric 12V228 diesel engines, each rated 2289 kW at 1050 rpm, and each driving a Voith Schneider 30R5-250 cycloidal propeller.

The electrical plant comprises 2 identical Caterpillar C 6.6 ACERT diesel gensets, each with a power output of 125 ekW, 60 Hz, 480V.

The aft deck machinery includes a Rolls Royce ATWH 1500/200 render-recover hawser/towing winch with horizontal warping head. The winch has a pull of 20 tonnes at 18m/min. and 5 tonnes at 50m/min. Rendering capability is 30 tonnes at 30m/min and 8 tonnes at 80m/min. Also on the aft deck is a Hella deck crane rated 5 tonnes at 5m reach.

On the foredeck is a Rolls Royce AW20.5U2H anchor windlass with two cable lifters and two horizontal warping heads.

An independent FIFI pumpset is fitted comprising a 546 kW @ 1800 RPM Caterpillar C18 ACERT auxiliary diesel engine driving a Fire Fighting Systems SFP 250×350 XP horizontal centrifugal pump. The pumpset delivers 1200m3/hr sea water at approximately 103 mlc to one, FFS1200LB, 1200/300m3/hr water/foam remote operated monitor.

Winch hydraulics are powered off the front of the FIFI pump engine with a back-up electro-hydraulic pumpset for emergency use and maintenance.

Ship-handling fenders at the stern comprise an upper row of 800mm diameter cylindrical fender and a lower course of W-fender. The stern fendering is equipped with a fender spray lubrication system remote controlled from the wheelhouse. Sheer fendering consists of 300mm D- rubber 300 mm “W” block type fendering is fitted at the bow.

Typical of Robert Allan Ltd. tug designs, significant noise and vibration reduction measures have been implemented throughout, including resiliently mounted main engines, resiliently mounted gensets and auxiliary engine, high attenuation engine exhaust silencer systems, ventilation intake air silencers, sound dampening deck treatments, and insulation measures.

On trials, Media Luna met or exceeded all performance expectations, with the following results:

Bollard Pull, ahead: Free running speed, ahead:

– 63.1 tonnes – 13.6 knots