Crowley’s fleet of Invader-class tugs, likeStalwart, pictured here, are true displacementhulls with loaded draft of 20 feet, a pair of20-cylinder EMD engines generating 75 tonsof bollard pull. Stalwart can be seen here withmore than 50 large tires for fendering.the barges were constructed at BayShipbuilding, in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.Halter subsequently went througha few restructurings and emergedas VT Halter Marine, after whichCrowley signed them to build the 650series of tugs and barges.In 2006, the 650-class was introducedwith the <strong>12</strong>7-foot PacificReliance and Gulf Reliance, pushing587-foot, 185,000-bbl barges. “Webuilt the boats in this series identicalto the first four boats,” said EdSchlueter, vice president of vesselmanagement services for Crowley.Schlueter explained that theylengthened the barges for the 650s,and increased their capacity to185,000 barrels by adding an extratank to the center of the 155,000-bblbarges.Then, for the next eight boatsin the series, Crowley switchedto heavy-fuel oil (HFO) Wärtsiläengines to take advantage of themuch lower cost of that fuel. Thosetugs, in order of delivery, are Resolve,Integrity, Courage, Commitment, Pride,Achievement, Innovation and soon,Vision. However, all of the HFO boatshave the ability to switch to light fuelsin order to comply with near-coastoperations and port entry regulations.<strong>12</strong> American Tugboat Review 20<strong>11</strong>
Heavy fuel is cheap, but buildinga boat to HFO requirements is not.More tankage is needed to store differentbatches of the thick fuel, aswell as having tanks for the low sulfur,light fuel. There is also a great dealmore complexity involved in the processingof HFO that requires equipmentto heat the oil and atomize itfor burning. Extra crewing also comesinto play.“In order to get that done, welengthened the boats to 135 feet toget the HFO support systems intothem. But the barges remained identical,”said Schlueter. All of that extramoney was justified, he said, becausethe company has realized significantfuel cost savings as a result.Both the 550s and the 650semploy an IntercontinentalEngineering (Intercon) couplingsystem to lock the tug into a notchin the stern of each barge. The couplerhas a 50-inch diameter pin thatengages with ladders built into theside of the barge notch.The newer ATBs in the 650 serieshave pins that are narrower thanthe earlier ones that, when rotated,can move up and down in the notchwithout disengaging from the barge.The modification was made becauseCrowley’s ATBs are often lighteringa ship at sea or transfering fuel atcertain docks that require the tug toremain in the notch. The new styleof pin allows the tug to keep a staticposition as the barge rides higher orlower in the water as the tanks areemptied or filled.By late this year, Vision, the lastof the 650s, will lock into the notchof its barge and head out to sea.Each barge is named with a dash andnumbered to correspond with thesequence of tug deliveries. Althoughall of the 14 tugs and barges in eachseries are married to each other, theyare interchangeable if they are separatedfor whatever reason. But thoseof the first two classes are not compatiblewith the 750 series.“The 750s are very large, so muchbigger, with the 330,000-bbl barges,that they’re not interchangeable withthe other series,” said Schlueter.In late 20<strong>11</strong>, the first of three750-class ATB units, Legacy, a 148-foot tug with 60 foot beam, coupledto a 600-foot, 330,000-bbl barge isscheduled to join the Crowley fleet.Legend and Liberty will follow. Thetugs are being built at Dakota CreekIndustries, in Anacortes, Wash. andthe barges are being built at VTHalter Marine, in Pascagoula, Miss.The 16,320-hp tugs, designed byNaviform in Vancouver, B.C., havetotally separate engine rooms, essentiallya power train housing that iscalled a propulsion pod. Each podcontains an 800-hp Wärtsilä C32HFO-capable main engine, Wärtsiläreduction gears, and a shaft generatorand shaft running aft to a controllable-pitch(CP) propeller. The tugs willhave redundant steering systems andover-sized rudders. They are expectedto achieve a speed of 15 knots.“We’re one of the first companiesAmerican Tugboat Review 20<strong>11</strong> 13
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