The following is text of a news release from Foss Maritime:
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — Bering Wind, a Dolphin-class tugboat, is being transferred from the Foss fleet in Long Beach, Calif., to Cook Inlet Tug & Barge in Anchorage. The tug, formerly known as Campbell Foss, is scheduled to begin service in Anchorage this month.
The vessel was renamed in October of this year and is scheduled to enter service in Alaska in approximately Nov. 15.
“The addition of the Bering Wind to our Anchorage-based fleet of tugs will improve our current level of service in the port,” said Ben Stevens, president of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge. “It will also ensure safe port operations can be conducted during the anticipated port revitalization project which will commence in spring of 2019.”
The boat was built by Foss in 2005. In 2011, it was converted to hybrid power, the first tugboat converted to become a hybrid. The tug and its sister vessel, Carolyn Dorothy, were the first two hybrid tugs in the industry.
“We are extremely proud of the role that this groundbreaking vessel has had in our fleet – it has been one of the gems of our operations,” said John Parrott, CEO of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge, whose parent company is Foss Maritime. “We are very excited to see her becoming a vital part of the Alaska maritime economy.”
Bering Wind is one of the most powerful harbor tugs in the industry. Powered by two Series II Caterpillar engines and twin Rolls Royce US 205 FP z-drives, Campbell Foss is rated at 5,080 horsepower and has more than 135 tons of pulling power. Its diesel-electric hybrid service is provided on one 125-kW Marathon generator set.
Bering Wind will be based out of Anchorage, and has been repainted with the recognizable blue and white colors of Cook Inlet Tug & Barge.