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Innovative ATP Will Go North to Alaska
01 Mar 2007
One of the more interesting American tug deliveries of 2007 will be an innovative ATB currently being built to a Frank Basile/Entech design for Brice Construction of Alaska. The 84ft by 36ft tug will be coupled to a 284ft by 54ft barge using an Articouple system from Taisei Engineering of Japan.
The Articouple coupler is a two point articulated connection that permits free pitching of the pusher relative to the barge.
A model of the tug and barge was test through to sea state 5 by Vision SciTec Inc at their Ocean Engineering Centre in Vancouver. The tests resulted in light modifications to the bow rake of the barge.
To achieve the desired 10 knot speed for the tug/barge combination, which has a shallow 6.5ft draft for river operation, three of Cummins’ new Tier II compliant QSK 19 M engines were selected. Each engine will deliver 660hp continuous duty to one of three 63in by 54in propellers in Rice Speed Nozzles with triple rudders. For travel in open waters the tug, with a moulded depth of 11.3ft, will be capable of ballasting down to 8.9ft.
The tug is currently under build at the Chiasson Welding facility in Larose, Louisiana while the barge is being built at another yard in Houma, Louisiana. Delivery is due in the spring of this year.
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