Page 50: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 1995)

DLWl

This Elliott Design

Group-designed tug is under construction at Atlantic Marine, (il- lustrations designed by Elliott Bay Design

Group.) t- -t m

HOLD

PTLOTMOUSE TOP

PILOTHOUSE

ESCORT

TUGS:

Technology; Legislation Drive

The Market

Driven by federal and state legislation, as well as tanker owner need, the escort tug market has mushroomed of late and near term business prospects are promising.

To date, Prince William Sound and Puget

Sound (and related waters) are the only two areas which have in effect OPA 90 mandated escorting. But according to Thomas Jordan, project manager of the U.S. Coast Guard Escort- ing Regs Project, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking identifying other areas in the U.S. waters where escorts would be mandated could be released as early as this summer. Mr. Jordan said the actual publication date is dependent upon many factors, and an exact date could not be provided.

Federal escorting rules do not specify a trac- tor-type or conventional tug, but do mandate that an escort must "keep a tanker under control in the event of steering or propulsion loss." It also must be noted that federal escort rules apply only to single hull tankers, which are subject to phase out in essence by the year 2010.

But OPA 90 does not prohibit states from implementing its own escort laws, and to date

California has escort requirements for both single and double hull tankers in San Francisco Bay, and Washington State has had regulations in effect since the mid-70's. Reportedly several other ports, particularly in California, are look- ing into escort regulations.

Bottom line: while federal requirements re- garding the escort of single hull tankers alone may not create an enormous demand for escort tug newbuildings, the combination of federal and regional laws, combined with tanker owners concerned with the financial responsibilities of

OPA '90, could drive the market for many years to come.

New orders

Atlantic Marine was chosen to turn the Elliott

Design Group vessel plan (featured to the left) into a state-of-the-art tractor tug for Hvide Ma- rine Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale. The vessel, expected for delivery this June, will measure 100 ft. long, 40 ft. wide and 14 ft. deep. The vessel will be powered by twin 2,550 hp. EMD diesel engines, each driving an Aquamaster US azimuthing propulsion unit. Auxiliary power will be pro- vided by a pair of Detroit Diesel engines, each driving an 85 kW Marathon generator. A third

Detroit Diesel engine will power the hydraulic pumps, and a Detroit Diesel 12V-92TA will be used to drive a Nijhuis fire pump.

The tug, dubbed Broward, will be stationed in

Port Everglades, Fla. She will be used to escort tankers and other large ships through the living coral reef, a mangrove mitigation project and a protected manatee population in Port Everglades.

The Broward is the latest in a long line of new orders and deliveries. (Continued on page 90) 52 Maritime Reporter/Engineering News

UPTAKE

BALLAST \ 8960 GAL \

P/S AQUAMASTER US2001 P/S

EOPT REMOVAL

SOFT PATCH (OVER) 'CAPSTAN i TRUNK i

UPTAKE