Gulf Island to build RAL-designed tug for Seaway

Slsdc30000r6 General Arrangement

The following is text of a news release from Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL):

(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. (SLSDC) has awarded a construction contract for a new Robert Allan Ltd. TundRA 3600 ice-class tug to Gulf Island Fabrication, to be built at its shipyard in Jennings, La.

The SLSDC is a wholly owned U.S. government corporation tasked with operating and maintaining the St. Lawrence Seaway between Massena, N.Y., and Lake Ontario, within the territorial limits of the United States. The tug, which will be based in Massena, will primarily operate between the Snell and Eisenhower locks with typical duties including icebreaking and ice management services, handling navigation aid buoys, and pushing the SLSDC’s buoy and gate lifter barges. The tug is also capable of secondary roles in firefighting and pollution response.

The tug design is of relatively shallow draft, to be classified by ABS as an Ice Class 1A tug, and incorporates an icebreaking bow form. It is powered by a pair of EPA Tier 4-compliant engines with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment, to deliver a bollard pull of approximately 65 long tons via controllable-pitch z-drive propulsion units. The vessel is equipped with a heavy duty deck crane, a stern roller, shark jaws, and a tugger winch for ease of handling aids to navigation on the aft working deck. All equipment is rated for operating in the cold local winter conditions, and the decks feature a heat tracing system to reduce the accumulation of ice and improve the safety of crew operations.

Barge winches and push knees on the forward deck, along with a towing winch within an enclosed house aft, allow the tug to handle barges off the bow or the stern, and the elevated wheelhouse provides a commanding view while pushing a barge ahead.

Typical complement will be four to six crew, however comfortable accommodations are provided for up to 14 people for extended buoy run missions.

Principal characteristics of the tug are as follows:

Length, overall: 118 feet
Beam molded: 45 feet
Depth, least molded: 19 feet 7 inches
Design draft (navigational): 16 feet
Fuel: 35,000 gallons
Fresh water: 7,500 gallons

The tug’s full classification notation is as follows:

ABS ✠ A1 Towing Vessel (FF Capable, BP), Domestic Service, Ice Class 1A, ✠ AMS, ✠ ABCU, IHM

The inventory of hazardous materials (IHM) class notation, along with the emissions-friendly propulsion package, noise reducing features, and light pollution response gear aboard will make this tug a strong performer from an environmental standpoint.

Production design of the tug is currently well underway, with delivery of the vessel expected in the summer of 2019.

By Professional Mariner Staff