Foss To Order New Tugs With Voith Schneider Systems

Foss Launch & Tug Co., Seattle, Wash., announced it has received approval from the Dillingham Corporation, its parent company, to purchase three new, revolutionary Tractor Tugs, with an option for a fourth, as additions to its West Coast fleet. The new tugs will incorporate the Voith Schneider cycloidal propeller system developed in Germany.

Bruce J. Robeson, president of Foss, said in making the announcement: "The Tractor Tug Concept, with the Voith Schneider propulsion system, was selected after an intensive evaluation process in order to satisfy the unique operating requirements of ship assist, harbor shifting and ship escort on Puget Sound. This system was specifically designed for ship handling work, and the well-tested concept allows the tug operator to apply thrust in any direction and force magnitude through 360 degrees, a decided advantage while assisting and maneuvering large ships." The cycloidal propeller is a vertically oriented, controllable pitch propulsion system located approximately one-third of the distance aft of the bow. This feature significantly reduces the risk of capsizing the tug during handling operations, permits the tug to get alongside a ship at higher speeds, and enables a tug in a dynamic ship assist situation to exert forces greater than its bollard pull on the vessel it is assisting.

The new twin-engine Tractor Tugs will be rated at 3,000 hp and 4,000 hp. The two 3,000-hp tugs will have a length of 100 feet, a beam of 36 feet, a draft of 16 feet, and will be powered by two GMEMD 12-cylinder E-6 diesel engines.

The two 4,000-hp tugs will have a length of 160 feet, a beam of 38 feet, a draft of 17 feet, and will be powered by two GM-EMD 16-cylinder E-6 diesel engines.

The conceptual design of the new Foss Tractor Tugs was developed by Don Hogue, manager of administration-Ocean Division, and Jim Cole, assistant manager- Foss Shipyard. L.R. Glosten & Associates are the naval architects for the tugs. A builder has yet to be named. Foss expects to take delivery of the tugs in 1982.

Other stories from August 1981 issue

Content

Maritime Reporter

First published in 1881 Maritime Reporter is the world's largest audited circulation publication serving the global maritime industry.