Foss builds flexibility into latest West Coast ship-assist tug
08 Jul

Foss builds flexibility into latest West Coast ship-assist tug

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review
Foss Maritime Co. is nearly finished with a four-boat order from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders that has solidified its fleet of West Coast ship-assist tugboats. The company’s 100-by-40-foot ASD-90 series consists of four Valor-class tugs designed by Jensen Maritime, now known as Crowley Engineering Services. The vessels carry the same proven legacy as other Valor-class workhorses, but with cleaner-burning Tier…
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Hines Furlong Line addresses need for efficient, high-horsepower towboats
08 Jul

Hines Furlong Line addresses need for efficient, high-horsepower towboats

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review
Hines Furlong Line has added to its inland towboat capabilities with the new 6,600-hp triple-screw Scarlett Rose Furlong. The 170-by-50-foot vessel was built by C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, La., using a design from CT Marine of Portland, Maine. Scarlett Rose, named for the daughter of Hines Furlong Line founder Kent Furlong, entered service in late 2020. “The…
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COVID-19 pandemic clouds construction picture
26 Jun

COVID-19 pandemic clouds construction picture

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Tugboats & Towing
Around this time last year, the tugboat building industry in the United States showed signs of a rebound. They weren’t exactly the “good old days,” but after some lean years the industry appeared heading in the right direction. Then, shortly after the new year, a once-in-a-century pandemic brought economies around the world to a screeching halt. By mid-May, more than…
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Crowley’s rugged ice-class ATB built to withstand Alaska’s harsh climate
26 Jun

Crowley’s rugged ice-class ATB built to withstand Alaska’s harsh climate

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Maritime News
Alaska has notoriously challenging weather conditions and climate. Crowley Maritime built an articulated tug-barge (ATB) rugged enough to safely sail through these icy waters and nimble enough to steer itself into berth.   The 128-foot Alaska-class tugboat Aveogan is paired with the 100,000-bbl Oliver Leavitt. The tug and barge pair up through an Intercon C-Series coupler with a first-of-its-kind “modified…
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Muscular Seaway Guardian has big shoes to fill
26 Jun

Muscular Seaway Guardian has big shoes to fill

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Maritime News
Tugboat watchers along the Saint Lawrence Seaway between Massena, N.Y., and Lake Ontario will witness a changing of the guard during the 2020 shipping season.   The 118-foot Seaway Guardian — a massive, muscular and well-equipped icebreaking tug — will replace the venerable 61-year-old Robinson Bay. The new vessel will perform icebreaking and barge-handling duties in addition to tending aids…
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E.N. Bisso & Son welcomes latest ‘go-anywhere tug’
26 Jun

E.N. Bisso & Son welcomes latest ‘go-anywhere tug’

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Tugboats & Towing
For nearly four years, E.N. Bisso & Son’s Gladys B. was the lone z-drive tugboat designed by Robert Allan Ltd. working the Mississippi River. Now, it has some company.   Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Fla., delivered the 80-by-38-foot C.D. White in January 2020, and as of April 2020 was building a sister tug. Both are robust RApport 2400-series tugboats…
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Nimbler next-gen Tiger tugs keep Hawaiian commerce moving
26 Jun

Nimbler next-gen Tiger tugs keep Hawaiian commerce moving

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Tugboats & Towing
P&R Water Taxi built its first Tiger tugboat in 90 days in 2002 after winning a U.S. Navy ship-assist contract in Pearl Harbor. The Honolulu-based company built 10 more over the next nine years as its Navy contracts and ship-assist work took off.   Almost two decades later, the original Tiger design has evolved into a nimbler ship-assist platform optimized…
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Texas tug operator builds fleet to handle bigger ships
26 Jun

Texas tug operator builds fleet to handle bigger ships

Professional Mariner StaffAmerican Tugboat Review, Tugboats & Towing
Mazu Capt. Nick Payne stood by while mate Brandon Conner approached the containership Molly Schulte midway between Bayport Channel and Barbours Cut in the Houston Ship Channel. Conner, who was training in real time on the new tugboat, maneuvered to the stern. Ordinary seaman Richard Fernandez attached the heaving line to the hawser and got the line on the ship…
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