Page 17: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1996)

EUROPEAN UPDATE

Same Owner ... Different Solutions (Continued from page 17) fire pumps. The Rustons are also fitted with alternators to charge the batteries; part of another improvement to allow the vessel, if necessary, to remain fully opera- tional without power from the gen- erator sets. Located in their con- ventional 'tractor' position forward are the Voith Schneider 28GH/200 propulsion units. On trials,

Lyndhurst achieved a maximum bollard pull of 45.3 tons and a free running speed of 12.5 knots — both in excess of contract require- ments.

Howard Smith Towage insists that crew accommodation should be above main deck level and all the cooking, dining and sleeping facilities are contained within the deckhouse. Two single and two double cabins are provided togeth- er with separate galley and mess- room. The high, compact wheel- house has become a characteristic feature of Howard Smith tugs as well as many built by McTay for other customers. It has an almost spartan but fundamentally func- tional interior, with a small floor area which contributes to the visi- bility. In order to see what is hap- pening below, the skipper does not have to move from their position across to a window. The command console is straightforward, and it only houses the essential thruster, engine and winch controls. All other wheelhouse items are located either in a four-sided overhead console or adjacent to the chart table.

A different solution has been selected for the growing Port of

Felixstowe fleet, with the recent arrival of Melton and Bentley, identical Aquamaster azimuthing stern thruster tugs. Before set- tling on this option, Howard

Smith's Felixstowe operation 'bor- rowed' a Voith tractor and also a powerful stern drive tug from the company's own Humber and

Medway fleets, and employed these vessels in practical trials, docking ships that regularly use the port.

According to Director Ken

Marshall, the local requirement of high speed on and off the berth made the stern thruster option the preferred choice of all involved in the evaluation trials.

Once the decision was made, yards worldwide were invited to submit proposals, but the final short list comprised Dutch,

Spanish and U.K. yards. Damen, famed for its range of standard designs, offered a 107.4 x 39.2-ft. (32.7 x 12-m) hull with a draft of 15 ft. (4.60 m). The Howard Smith design team then suggested modi- fications to improve speed and astern running. The builder agreed to carry these out, and a contract was signed for three tugs, a third identical tug being required for the Medway.

Maintaining faith with the same engine builder, each tug is powered by a pair of 1,800-kW Ruston 6RK 270m diesels.

These drive Aquamaster US 2001/3325 azimuthing units through Twin Disc 3000.5 HD marine control drive clutches, as

Mr. Marshall explained: " ... to ensure the level of precision maneuvering necessary for the

Felixstowe operation." On trials, the vessels reportedly achieved free running speeds of 13.5 knots and bollard pulls in excess of 60 tons.

As on Lyndhurst, all the living quarters on Melton and Bentley are above the main deck level. The chief engineer and two crew mem- bers each have individual cabins on the lower level of the deckhouse adjacent to the mess room and gal- ley, and the captain is accommo- dated one deck up immediately beneath the wheelhouse. This also follows the established pattern of the Southampton tug with full height windows and small floor area. In response to requests from

Howard Smith's engineers,

Aquamaster has developed an improved control system to facili- tate close-quarter maneuvering.

Called the 'Aquaduo' it comprises three modular panels compact enough to be located side-by-side within easy arm's reach; with dual steering levers, dual speed control levers and a small steering wheel between them.

Interest shown in all the new tugs has been high and already the

Aquamaster versions would appear to have set a standard, as the vessels ordered by U.K. opera- tor Cory for Milford Haven bear a remarkable similarity. At the time o{ MR/ENs visits to Southampton and Felixstowe, Damen and McTay each had one more tug to deliver to

Howard Smith. "BEST VALUE FOR MONEY"

ASTANO ASTANDER CADIZ

P.O. BOX 994 15080 Ferrol

La Coruna - Spain

Tel. (3481) 34 3211

Fax (3481) 34 3252

P.O. BOX 10 39080 El Astillero

Cantabria - Spain

Tel. (3442) 54 0050

Fax (3442) 54 0026

P.O. BOX 39 11080 Cadiz

Spain

Tel. (3456) 27 3350

Fax (3456) 27 8362

ASTILLEROS ESPANOLES

August, 1996 Circle 210 on Reader Service Card 19