Tuesday, July 10, 2018

New Young Bros. Tug

By Karen Robes Meeks

The first of four new tugs built for independent Foss Maritime subsidiary Young Brothers will soon be in service in Hawaii. It will be docked in Kaunakakai, Moloka‘i.

Designed by Damen USA and constructed by Louisiana-based Conrad Shipyard, the Kāpena Jack Young is designed to make operations more efficient and sustainable.

“The four new Kāpena class tugs, represent our future while honoring our past,” said Joe Boivin, new president of Young Brothers. “Once in service, the age of our fleet will be reduced from an average age of 44 years to 12 years young. The new tugs reinforce our commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and customer service.”

The tug produces 6,000 horsepower and is powered by “General Electric 8L250MDC—state-of-the-art EPA Tier IV emissions compliant exhaust gas re-circulation engines, according to Foss.

“I’m very impressed with the work that has been done by Conrad Shipyards and Damen USA in the delivery of the first of our four new, state-of-the-art, Tier 4 tugs,” said John Parrott, president and CEO of Foss Maritime. “We worked with Young Brothers to research various tug hull designs, engines, and towing equipment options. The construction of these new tugs supports Young Brothers in providing reliable, affordable and frequent services throughout the Hawaiian Islands—now and in the future.”