Chesapeake Shipbuilding adds another tug to order book

Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. of Salisbury, Md. reports that it signed another new contract on December 29, 2011 with Vane Brothers of Baltimore, MD, to build an eighth ocean going tug. This is the second new tug to be ordered by Vane from Chesapeake in the month of December. Chesapeake Shipbuilding now has three tugs under construction for Vane Brothers and a 260 ft luxury cruise ship for American Cruise Lines of Guilford, CT.

Speaking on the relationship with Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Duff Hughes president of Vane Brothers, said “we have a rhythm and the fact that they have the construction process down to a T made it an easy decision. And we hope we will be building No. 9 and 10 there.”

Construction on the new tug began immediately in one of Chesapeake Shipbuilding’s hull fabrication buildings. Two weeks earlier, the shipyard commenced construction on the seventh tug in an adjacent building. The two vessels share the same layout and design, allowing for production efficiencies. 

The newest tug, designated Hull 106, will be equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines producing a combined 3,000 horsepower. The tug will measure 94 ft long with a 32 ft beam, and a 13 ft depth.

January 16, 2012