Hybrid tug gets ABS approval in principle:
https://www.mpropulsion.com/news/view,class-approval-enables-future-hybrid-tug-construction_56077.htm
An article in Maasmond newsletter today about an old tug is mostly taken from this Milwaukee Notebook article date 2015:
In 1979, while docked in Detroit, arsonists broke in, poured gasoline throughout the interior, and set fire to the tug. (âŠ) That night, the arsonists returned and set the tug on fire a second time.
I feel like thereâs an explanation missing. I know it says Detroit, but stillâŠ
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The most powerful min-tug in the world??:
LOA : 7.8 m. (26 ft.) Beam: 5.2 m. Depth: 2.9 m.
1 x Volvo D-16, 750 Hp Bollard Pull: 8.5 m.t.
Very large propeller in nozzle and fwrd⊠skeg:
Built on a small slipway and workshop in between other jobs (Mainly veteran boat restoration and maintenance):
PS> Some interesting manoeuvring and coastal navigation in that video.
I wonder how the neighbors feel about getting shellacked by that wake? On another note, is there a reason for a tug to be 26â outside of the U.S.
I was also wondering why they went down that narrow bit with boats moored all around at such high speed. Obviously they are all friends and neighbours there, but still.
Second question; I donât know of any rule that affects tugs, or other commercial boats, but there are several for fishing boats. I believe he is planning to use the same basic hull design for fishing boats as well.
Would this little tug be interesting in Alaska?? If so I believe he would be willing to franchise.
(No double bent plates to worry about)
Poor seamanship waking all those boats smh
Maybe the boat owners around there are good seamen who are able to secure and fender off their boats properly?
Regardless of how you tie your boat up , sitting out back and drinking some coffee on the dock and some asshole comes scooting by on some fuckin toddler tug. Iâm sure youâd be the guy to leave your boat at the marina during a cat 4 hurricane and show up the next day and itâs gone , and blame it on the hurricane instead of being smart and moving the boat. But oh well
I thought a 7 minute video was going to show the tug go out to push or tow something and show what it can do, not just pointlessly video the tug riding around doing nothing. It looks to me like a big investment in an ugly toy boat with very limited capability.
It would make a lot more sense to build a bigger twin screw tugboat. If it requires a licensed operator, so what? A capable unlicensed operator doesnât work for nothing either. Itâs not like just anyone off the street can safely do productive tugboat work.
If we had a rule like the Canadians that allowed 50 foot 1500hp twin screw tugs without a license, that would be different. But for just a 26 foot boat there isnât much point.
That depends on what you want it to do. I ran into a guy in Oostende who operated a boat somewhat like this with great success. It was a twenty-something foot FRP hull of all things, with a QSB 5.9 mated to some sort of pod drive, which made for a weird handling but versatile little boat. He got bunches of work alongside the bigger, more powerful tugs, so the formula evidently worked out for him.
The Pacific Northwest uses mini tugs wiith a single forward azimuth drive in a cage to push logs around in log yards. The old ones are powered by a GM 6-71. The newer ones are powered by the 5.9 Cummins. These special purpose mini tugs have been around as long as I can remember.
I still donât see much point in building a mini tug like the one in the video just to beat a 7 meter or 26 foot rule.
I donât think anybody have said that there are any Norwegian restrictions on length.
Besides I donât think that this tug is intended for the US market, or designed and built to meet any US restrictions on length, or anything else American.
If he wanted a bigger tug and twin screws he could have bought or built one.
The facts:
It is just an innovative boat yard owner testing out an idea for a small, simple but powerful and highly manoeuvrable tug, intended to be âsafest in the worldâ, using his own money.
There are already some interest, but he is not willing to sell before his invention has been thoroughly tested for safety and workability:
The video is just an amateur video shot from a drone and shows the tug being tested by the builder, incl. turning circles and crash stop.
Here is another amateur video showing the tug doing some twists and turns while having a tow wire over the stern:
They are also developing an âice breaking bowâ concept to fit on this tug:
https://fitjarposten.no/dafjorden-slipp-byggjer-isbrytar-for-verdsmarkanden/
Remember, just because it hasnât been done before doesnât mean it canât be done, or is a stupid idea.
Thanks heaven there are still some âPeter Smartâ around that isnât afraid of trying something new.
Marine construction companies have always liked the under 26â tugs. There will always be incentives to have the biggest shortest boat, if for no other reason, just for less moorage costs. Commercial fishing vessels in Alaska are built as big as possible and under length cutoffs of 32â 58â 60â etc. A small tug doesnât tow well regardless of power but there might be an assist market where it would work. Personally I would like to see some radical âtumble homeâ bulwarks on it so you could work a barge or ship in weather.
Looks like someone doesnât like having their industry being compared to the rest of the world:
Iâm gonna regret this but - that was your take-away from that letter to the editor?
What do you make of it??
Looks more like a utility mooring boat to me. We have Damen built ones that have 4tbp and are used to tow oil pollution booms as well as tie up the aframax and VLCCs.
Given some rope guards over the wheelhouse I presume it could serve as a mooring boat as well.
It is a prototype to be tested out for different purposes, like ice breaking, as coastal fishing vessel, or whatever else this inventive fellow can come up with.
The future for tugs is LNG or hybrid propulsion power according to this article:
https://www.lngworldshipping.com/news/view,future-tugs-will-have-lng-and-hybrid-propulsion_56532.htm
What say the tug people on the forum?