Gulf Island Shipyards to build icebreaking tug

Written by Marine Log Staff
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The Saint Lawrence Seaway provides a critical link to the heartland of the U.S. and Canada

OCTOBER, 21, 2017—Gulf Island Shipyards, Houma, LA, has been awarded an $18.14 million contract to build an ice class, Z-drive tug for the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC). The multi-purpose tug will be designed to provide icebreaking/ice-management services on the St. Lawrence Seaway, handle buoys, and push SLSDC’s two buoy and gate lifter barges.  The tug will also be capable of secondary roles in fire-fighting, pollution response, and ship assist.

To be classed by ABS as an ice class tug, the 118 ft x 45 ft, all-steel vessel will have an ice-breaking bow form, with a design draft of 16 ft. 

Propulsion for the tug will be supplied by two controllable-pitch Z-drive propulsion units, each driven by a high-speed diesel engine.  

Deck machinery will include a heavy-duty deck crane, a stern roller, and shark jaws to allow the tug to handle buoys on its aft working deck.

While the tug will be is designed for operation with an unmanned machinery space with a minimum crew, it will have accommodations for a crew of up to 14. 

The tug will also be designed to minimize noise and vibration through the use of resilient mountings for the main and auxiliary engines, isolation for all exhaust system components, and the use of viscoelastic floating floor systems and sound absorbing lining, partitions, and ceilings throughout the accommodations and control spaces.

Gulf Island Shipyards is expected to deliver the tug in the spring to summer of 2019.

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