Ocean Tug & Barge Announce New Tug Designs

A pair of 8,000 hp AT/B tugs for OSG Americas, designed by Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp. of Milford, MA will be built at VT Halter, it was announced recently. The twin screw tugs, designed to fit into the notches of existing double-hulled ocean tank barges are fitted with an Intercon tug/barge connection system and powered by 16 cylinder EMD 710-series diesel engines. The tugs feature Nautican High Efficiency Kort nozzles, with high aspect ratio triple rudders for improved maneuverability.

The design is a derivative of OT&BE’s highly successful “ATLANTIC III Class AT/B tug design which has been in production since 2004, with three examples currently at work. The new vessels will have increased horsepower over the parent design to reflect the larger size barges they will handle. They will also be 12 feet longer than the parent design. The reasons are two-fold. First, to allow for increased fuel capacity and the larger engine room required by the more powerful main engines., and secondly to allow the tugs to work in the longer notches of the barges they will push.

These vessels follow in the wake of the 12000 HP/343,000 BBL AT/B of OT&BE design recently delivered by VT Halter. AT/B tugs for both Moran Towing and Reinauer Transportation are also currently building to OT&BE designs.
Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., was founded in 1993, and is located in Milford, MA The firm has had a hand in either the design or refit engineering of dozens of the AT/B’s operational or under design in the United States.
OCEAN TUG & BARGE ENGINEERING CORP.
www.oceantugbarge.com
By Professional Mariner Staff