Foss Maritime, a division of the Saltchuk company, recently received its fourth ASD-90 tractor tug from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.
The m/v Rachael Allen is part of a series of four NBBB-built vessels constructed from April 2020 to last month that also includes the m/v Jamie Ann, m/v Sarah Avrick and m/v Leisa Florence.
“The ASD-90 newbuild program produced three vessels for Foss and one vessel for our sister company, AmNav,” said Foss Maritime President Will Roberts. “They will meet the current and future needs of the largest vessels of our customers calling on California ports.”
A pair of the vessels will be based in Los Angeles/Long Beach, while two others will be stationed in the San Francisco Bay offering escort and assist services to large tankers and container vessels calling on the California ports, according to NBBB.
Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants designed the ASD-90 Class tugs and were made with sustainability and efficiency in mind with a pair of MTU Series 16v4000M65L main engines each rated at 3433 HP and a system that digitally monitors the engines, among other features.
“We are tremendously grateful to Foss for trusting us with this four-vessel program,” said Tor Hovig, vice president of sales and customer relations for NBBB.