The following is text of a news release from Island Tug and Barge (ITB):
(BURNABY, British Columbia) — Island Raider, the newest articulating tug in Island Tug and Barge’s fleet, was christened Sept. 28 during an afternoon ceremony at ITB’s headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia. After the Rev. Mark Schwab from St. Stephen’s Church delivered a blessing, Beth Vandemoor, ITB’s payroll/invoice manager and longtime employee, broke a champagne bottle over the vessel’s hull while a group of ITB and Tidewater Canada Inc. employees, vendor representatives, and business partners cheered from the shore.
Island Raider, along with its sister Island Regent (delivery February 2019), was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. naval architects and marine engineers of Vancouver, B.C., to be paired with ITB’s double-hulled oil tank barge, ITB Resolution, as an articulated tug-barge (ATB).
Main propulsion for the 78-by-41-foot Island Raider is provided by twin Cummins KTA38M 634-kW engines, producing 850 hp each at 1,800 rpm. Through carbon-fiber shafts, the main engines connect to two 1,600 mm, four-blade in-nozzle Rolls-Royce US105 FP azimuthing thrusters (z-drives). The z-drive thrusters can rotate 360 degrees, providing maximum thrust in any direction and enhanced maneuverability. Once the tug is fitted into the notch of the barge, a connection is made through an Articouple FRC 35S pin (coupler) system. These hydraulic pins engage in a vertical slot on the barge to create a semi-rigid bond that allow the tug to pitch but not roll. The joined ATB has a fully loaded speed of 10 knots.
Two John Deere 4045 AFM85 generators, producing 99 kW of electrical power each, provide power for Island Raider. The tug’s navigation equipment includes a JRC automatic identification system (AIS), radar, electronic chart display, and weather station; Alphatron Marine bridge navigation watch alarm system, magnetic compass, and repeater swing meter; and Sailor VHF radio. A fixed Kidde FM200 fire extinguishing system is installed in the machinery spaces.
Constructed on-site at ITB’s Annacis Island facility along the Fraser River in British Columbia, Island Raider was designed with considerable emphasis on crew comfort and endurance. By incorporating Sika vibration and sound dampening floors, and Norac wall and ceiling paneling, noise levels register at less than 59 decibels in the wheelhouse during vessel operation – which is equivalent to an air conditioner. In addition, fully heated and air-conditioned accommodations can house up to eight persons in six cabins. The standard crew is four – master, mate and two deck hands. For optimal situational awareness, the wheelhouse incorporates floor to ceiling windows, as well as a full walk-around catwalk. Facilities include a stainless-steel finished galley and large mess deck, exercise room, laundry room, and office.
