TUGS & SALVAGE

Ghanaian order for Turkish tug builder

7 years ago

A dramatic increase in traffic in the Ghanaian ports of Tema and Takoradi has led to port expansion projects and in turn the requirement for additional shiphandling tugs.

Traffic increases in Ghanaian ports has led to orders for three new tugs (RAL)

On the back of the growth and subsequent expansion, Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority has entered into an agreement with the Turkish TOR Group of Companies for the construction of three new tugs to meet the increase in demand. TOR Group has in turn contracted Robert Allan Ltd for the design of the tugs which will be RAstar 3300 class vessels.

The trio are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2019 and with a LOA of 32.8m, beam of 12.9m and a depth of 5.37m will be substantial vessels by any measure. Cummins will provide the main engines in the form of a pair of QSK 95 variants, in turn driving Rolls-Royce US2555 P30 FP azimuth thrusters. The drives will have 2,800mm diameter propellers in nozzles and the power combination is designed to provide a bollard pull of 80t or greater and speeds up to 13kn.

The V-16-cylinder, 95-litre main engines will each develop 3,600bhp (2,685kW) at 1,700rpm and were introduced by Cummins several years ago whereby they have found acceptance in high-speed applications such as catamaran crew boats and fast ferries and were subsequently found also to be well suited for powering shiphandling tugs.

Cummins will also supply three auxiliary engines, a QSK38-M 1,595bhp (1,190kW) engine will power the fire pump to meet fifi1 standards including water spray. The ships’ electrical supply will be via a pair of Cummins QSB7DM-powered gensets on each tug producing 170Kw, 136kWe, 50Hz at 1,500rpm.

Towing arrangements will include a Rolls-Royce hawser winch forward and a Mampaey quick-release hook aft for occasional conventional towing jobs and the tugs will be classed by BV for unrestricted navigation.

A recent report by the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority recorded a 13 percent increase in total cargo traffic for both ports (Tema and Takoradi) registering 22,086,626 tonnes in 2017 compared to 19,459,834 tonnes in 2016 along with a 32 percent increase in transit cargo. Container traffic for both ports increased from 942,463teu in 2016 to 1,009,755teu in 2017 registering a seven percent increase.

By Peter Barker