Chesapeake Shipbuilding wins tugboat order

New tugs will be nearly identical to 12 previously built for Vane Bros by the shipyard

JANUARY 22, 2015 — Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Salisbury, MD, has signed a contract with Vane Brothers of Baltimore, MD, to build two new tugs. They will be the thirteenth and fourteenth tugs built by Chesapeake Shipbuilding for Vane Brothers in the last several years.

These two new tugs will fit into the shipbuilder’s existing order book, which currently includes of a number of tugboats and commercial vessels.

The new tugboats, designated Hull 123 and Hull 124, will be nearly identical to the previous 12 tugboats built for Vane Brothers.
Each will be equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines producing a combined 3,000 horsepower, and a single drum hydraulic winch. Like the previous deliveries, the new boats will have comfortable accommodations for crew members.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding builds tugs in a controlled indoor environment, before they are moved and launched into Maryland’s Wicomico River. To increase its production capacity and efficiency, Chesapeake Shipbuilding has recently made significant upgrades to its shipyard by acquiring additional land, building new hull fabrication buildings and investing in additional automated equipment.

The shipyard currently has five ocean-going tugs and three approximately 305-foot cruise vessels under construction, the first of which will be delivered next month to American Cruise Lines.