Great Lakes Towing Co. builds tugs for a new century of service The Great Lakes Towing Co. is making steady progress with its fleet replacement plan. Illinois departed this spring from Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland for Detroit, roughly 120 miles to the west. It is the sixth of 10 tugboats in the Cleveland class. The seventh tugboat, Indiana,…

‘Workhorse’ tug gives Donjon flexibility around New York Harbor Capt. William Sullivan, manager of regulatory compliance and vessel repair at Donjon Marine, summed up the company’s versatile new towboat in just three words. “It’s a workhorse,” he said. A glance at J. Arnold Witte’s AIS track showed that in a 24-hour period, the 78-foot towboat had covered as much of…

Sentinel completes U.S. Navy’s six-tug order from Dakota Creek The U.S. Navy developed the YT 808 series with the goal of upgrading its fleet of ship-assist tugboats. With the delivery of YT 813/Sentinel in late March, that mission is accomplished. The 90-by-38-foot Sentinel is the sixth and final vessel in the series featuring the Robert Allan Ltd. Z-Tech 4500…

Latest Seabulk Rotortugs add power and bollard pull Seabulk Towing welcomed the first Advanced Rotortug (ART) to American shores in 2017. Fast-forward five years: the company now operates four of the specialized triple-screw tugboats with a fifth on the way. The 98-foot Nike is the first of two ART 90-98US tugboats due from Master Boat Builders using a design…

Florida Marine Transporters welcomes new towboat series Eric Brumfield Florida Marine Transporters (FMT) of Mandeville, La., took delivery of five towboats in 2021, including Eric Brumfield, the lead vessel in a new class of 76-by-35-foot pushboats. Steiner Shipyard of Bayou La Batre, Ala., delivered the 2,000-hp Eric Brumfield in August 2021, followed four months later by the second tug…

J. Arnold Witte exits Lock 17’s guillotine gate on the Erie Canal. J. Arnold Witte preparing to depart Donjon’s shipyard in Erie, Pa The design features sturdy push knees and a retractable pilothouse. Engineer Joshua Riddick monitors one of three Mitsubishi engines. J. Arnold Witte has a 24-foot height of eye with its wheelhouse raised. The tug’s 26-foot beam accommodates…

Susan W. came to Gulfport after working on the Lower Mississippi River. Susan W. works Dole and Chiquita ships most weeks. Susan W. works Chiquita ship San Adriano. Deck hand Robert Shavers observes as trainee Tyler Schankin gets a line onto San Adriano. Susan W.s crew consists of (from left) Capt. Ken Skrmetta, deck hands Robert Shavers and Tyler Schankin,…