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enterprises in North America. “We started off in the ship- bleshoot issues, and, more importantly, identify problems assist business, so ship docking was our bread and butter before they happen. By comparing performance across the for many years,” Perreault said. “More recently, we’ve ex- ? eet, we can spot trends early and maintain that high level panded into a couple of other business lines. Today we’re of availability that our customers expect.” made up of two divisions – the Maritime Division and For Moran, the William E. Moran class is also a response

Specialty Services – and within those we have four business to increasing vessel size, evolving regulations, and higher units covering ship assist, transportation, environmental expectations from clients and crews alike. “As ships con- and industrial services, and dive and construction.” tinue to grow, tugs have to grow – more power, greater

Between the two divisions, Moran employs nearly 2,000 escort capability, larger winches,” Perreault noted. “Cus- people, operating 80 ship-assist tugs in 17 ports and main- tomers are looking for 80-ton boats, so that’s where we’ve taining a ? eet of 14 ocean-going barges. “Over the last 18 positioned this class.” months, we’ve delivered seven new tugs into the operating Beyond horsepower, new escort stability requirements ? eet,” Perreault said. “The William E. is one of those – and and ? re-suppression regulations in? uenced the design. a real milestone in our continuous-build program.” “The timing of those regulatory changes mattered,” he said.

The William E. Moran embodies Moran’s effort to cre- “It forced us to adapt our approach to layout and ? re? ght- ate a standardized yet ? exible tug platform that can be ing systems.” Crew feedback has been integral as well. Mo- deployed across multiple ports and missions. “We were ran’s new-construction team maintains a direct feedback looking for a platform that allowed us to meet all of our loop with crews, allowing onboard observations – from needs throughout the ship-assist business unit,” Perreault equipment placement to small habitability details – to feed explained. “Each of our 17 locations has slightly different directly into the next build cycle. “They’re great ideas, and requirements. We wanted a tug that was handy enough to we really welcome that feedback,” Perreault added.

handle general ship-assist work anywhere but also capable of being out? tted for high-performance terminal service – Balancing Investment with Ef? ciency ? re? ghting, larger winches, and high-speed escort work.” While these next-generation tugs represent a signi? cant

This led to a focus on commonality and crew familiarity. capital investment, Moran views the returns in operation- “As people move from one boat to the next, they should al ef? ciency and longevity. “We continuously invest be- have that sense of familiarity,” he said. “Standardization cause our customers are investing,” Perreault said. “Each helps with safety, training, and ef? ciency, but it also gives new class brings improvements, and yes, that often means us a core design that any quali? ed U.S. yard can build for higher CapEx, but we offset it through smarter operations.

Moran for years to come.” That includes better dispatching, technology that im-

Visibility was another key focus during design col- proves utilization, and more ef? cient work? ows. The idea laboration with Robert Allan Ltd. “Operator visibility is is to be better than the last class in every measurable way.” huge,” said Perreault. “These tugs have full-height win- Moran currently has ? ve additional vessels under con- dows all the way around, 360 degrees, deck-to-overhead. struction, scheduled for delivery between late 2025 and

We even raised the pilot house slightly and moved it aft, Q1 2027, continuing the company’s methodical renewal which gives much better sightlines to the foredeck and strategy. “I don’t see that changing over the next 12 to 24 alongside when close to ships. It’s exponentially better months,” Perreault con? rmed.

visibility than we’ve had before.”

Inside and out, the William E. Moran re? ects Moran’s

WILLIAM E. MORAN MAIN PARTICULARS emphasis on operator comfort, maintainability, and data-

Builder Master Boat Builders – Coden, Alabama

Designer Robert Allan Ltd. (RApport 2800 series) driven reliability. “We spent considerable time on the lay-

Owner / Operator Moran Towing Corporation

Type ASD Tractor Tug / Escort-rated out – how we out? t the interior, arrange equipment, and

Classi? cation ABS Escort-rated / LEV (Low Emission Vessel) ensure connectivity for those aboard,” Perreault said. “We

Length o.a. 92 ft (28 m)

Beam 40 ft (12.2 m) want to take care of the folks that take care of us. They’re

Bollard Pull > 80 metric tons living away from home, and we want these vessels to feel as

Main Engines 2 × Caterpillar 3516E EPA Tier IV diesels (6,770 bhp)

Propulsion Twin Z-drive azimuthing thrusters much like home as possible.”

Generators Caterpillar C7.1 auxiliary sets

The tug integrates real-time equipment monitoring sys-

Navigation & Control Rose Point ECS Integrated Navigation

Communications Starlink satellite connectivity; VHF/UHF bridge suite tems designed in-house by Moran engineers. “We’ve incor-

Fendering Manuplas system

Fire Protection / Suppression Firemaster ? re insulation package porated a variety of systems to collect data continuously,”

Insulation Isover

Perreault said. “We can access that data shoreside to trou- www.marinelink.com MN 33|