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einauer twinsReinauer Transportation, Staten Island, N.Y.Reinauer shipyardbuilds SOLAS-rated ATBReinauer Transportation Co. isseemingly getting its money’sworth out of the Rhode Islandshipyard it acquired in 2006. Thecompany expects to take delivery thissummer on the third new tugboat builtby the yard with an equal number of newbarges and in-house conversions andretrofits already under its belt.The 4,720-hp tug Reinauer Twins is thirdin a series of so-called Facet Tug designsdeveloped by naval architects of OceanTug & Barge Engineering and built bySenesco Marine in North Kingstown, R.I.While the design is intended to allow easyconstruction of double-skin fuel tanks,and double bottom in way of the engineroom, it also involves construction entirelywithout curved plating or faired hull shape,a technique sure to save money. The firsttwo tugs in the series were delivered in 2009and 2010. These tugs are matched up withnew 414-foot, 100,000-bbl oil barges. Theyare joined together with Intercon C-seriescoupler systems.Naval architect Robert Hill said theconstruction technique involves using acombination of planned, angular, flat plateswith each angle of each plate chosen foroptimal water flow and displacement forthe finished hull. Folks at Reinauer are fondof referring to these boats as “stealth tugs”because they resemble the look of the U.S.B-2 stealth bomber.Courtesy Reinauer TransportationWhile the first two tugs in the Facetdesign series had aluminum pilothousetowers, this latest tug is built entirely ofsteel, primarily because rules for the SOLASrating do not allow aluminum structures fortowers or pilothouses.Regarding her SOLAS rating, thislatest tug also differs from her sistersby virtue of an additional emergencygenerator, additional insulation andelectronics, installation of an engine-order66 American Tugboat Review 2011