Jensen Maritime, the Seattle-based naval architecture and
marine engineering subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corp., recently completed the
designs of two new ASD tugs based on the Valor tugboat design, and a 250-foot
x 70-foot x 15-foot, 8-inch deck barge for Seattle-based marine transportation
provider Harley Marine.
The tugs, named Robert Franco and Ahbra
Franco, are to provide tanker escort and ship assist services along the
U.S. West Coast. The barge, Iliuliuk Bay,
is expected to transport a wide variety of cargo between Dutch Harbor and
Akutan, Alaska, with up to three runs weekly.
The Robert Franco and Ahbra
Franco are under construction at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, of
Freeland, Washington and are expected to be delivered in March and July
respectively.
The Iliuliuk Bay is also under
construction by US Fab, in Vigor’s Swan Island shipyard in Portland, Oregon. It’s
scheduled for delivery later this year.
Jensen designed the two new tugboats along the lines of the
Nichols-built Valor, but upgraded them with Tier 3 Cat 3516C engines and
Rolls-Royce US 255 Z-drives. The tugs will also feature an anchor windlass and
chain locker, as well as a Markey TES-40 winch as well as 900 GPM fire pumps
and monitors, powered from an on-board generator. Ice plating has also been
added to the hulls to ensure safety while working in light ice conditions.
The Iliuliuk Bay will house a 230-ton
lift capacity Manitowoc 4100 crawler crane. The vessel’s design features both
D-rings to secure containers up to three high as well as eight lashing bars for
other cargo such as heavy construction machinery or general equipment.
