(CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 25, 2008) – Great Lakes Shipyard, an affiliate of The Great Lakes Towing Company, has celebrated the completion of construction of its first “HANDYSIZE” tugboat built at its new shipyard facility in the Old River Basin of the Cuyahoga River. The welcoming crowd of more than 200 people included her new owners, Tugz International L.L.C., shipyard employees and their families. The traditional red, white and blue beribboned champagne was smashed on the bow of the new tug, gleaming with green-painted non-skid decks and roof top to symbolize its unique “green” design.
The new “HANDYSIZE” Class tug is described by the Company as “just the right size, just the right power, environmentally sound, fuel efficient and versatile enough to accomplish most tug jobs at the lowest operating cost – when bigger is just too big, and smaller is more than enough.”
The Tug “HANDY-ONE” is the first of a new “green” tugboat class to be constructed on the Great Lakes and at the new Great Lakes Shipyard. The new tugs were designed by Jensen Maritime, Seattle, for Tugz International L.L.C., the well-known and successful owner-charterer of the “Z Class” 4,000 hp multipurpose U.S. flag tugs. The new “HANDYSIZE” Class fills the niche between the 2,800-3,200 hp tug market for harbor work, firefighting, and construction operations, as well as for coastal towing, and the higher 4,000 horsepower – “bigger” tug market.
The tug is specifically designed to lower an operator’s costs by reducing fuel consumption, crew size and crew documentation requirements, maintenance and repairs, and other significant costs that are associated with government-imposed regulations relating to vessel length and tonnage. The HANDYSIZE Class tugs are 74-feet long, have a beam of 30.0 feet, and a design draft of 11.5 feet. Their speed is 12.0 knots.
The Cummins QSK38M diesel propulsion engines used in this tug, supplied by Cummins Bridgeway, LLC, Cleveland, not only meet 2007 U.S. EPA Tier 2 and EU Stage IIIA emissions regulations, but also deliver superior fuel economy, durability, and reliability.
