Crescent Towing starts construction of 6,000 hp Z-drive tugboat
Written by Marine Log Staff
New 6,000 hp Z-drive tugboat will be immediately added to Crescent Towing's Mississippi River ship assist operations on completion.
New Orleans based Cooper Group subsidiary Crescent Towing has begun construction of a new 6,000 HP tier 4 Z-drive tugboat at Blakeley BoatWorks in Mobile, Ala. It will be immediately added to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River ship assist operations upon completion.
“The addition of this new 6,000 HP Z-drive in support of our Mississippi River operations highlights our continued commitment to providing our customers with the most powerful and technologically advanced equipment in the industry,” said Scott H. Cooper, president of Crescent Towing.
This new escort towing vessel, to be named at a later date, was designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will be 92 feet long by 38 feet wide and will have a draft of 19 feet. It will be powered by twin Caterpillar 3516E tier 4 engines, each producing 3,004 hp to power Kongsberg 255 fixed pitch azimuthing drives (Z-drives). It is the fifth Crescent Towing escort tug design provided by Crowley.
“For over 81 years, our team of mariners and shore-based staff have worked relentlessly to provide the highest quality ship assist towing service in the United States, said Keith Kettenring, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Crescent Towing. “The addition of this new tier, 4 6,000 HP Z-drive provides our team with another incredible tool to continue to offer the safest and most reliable towing services on the Mississippi River.”
Situated on 26 acres in heart of the port of Mobile and with capacity to simultaneously service up to 15 towing vessels and barges, Blakeley BoatWorks (BBW) is a full-service shipyard specializing in small vessel repair, barge repair, and new vessel construction.
“Blakeley BoatWorks is honored to partner with Crescent Towing and Crowley Engineering Services to design and construct the second of a series of 6,000 HP tugboats,” said Swathin Kannalath, Managing Director of Blakeley BoatWorks. “The opportunity to construct one of the largest and most advanced tugboats operating on the Mississippi River creates a great amount of excitement for our entire team.”
