Signet continues US Gulf Coast expansion

The announcement on 12 December marks the ninth Signet/Robert Allan Ltd design in five years. Continuing the longstanding Signet tradition of naming vessels in honour of America’s Cup winners, the new RAmparts 3200 ASD tugs will be named Signet Intrepid and Signet Vigilant. Construction commenced in November 2012 with an expected delivery of December 2013 for the first vessel and March 2014 for the second.

Signet Intrepid and Signet Vigilant will be the fifth and sixth ASD tugboats delivered for Signet in less than three years and will operate from the International Operations Center in Ingleside, Texas, where they will primarily be used to perform offshore and inshore rig escort, barge, and subsea support work.

The tugs will measure 32m in length overall, with a beam of 11.58m and maximum draft of 5.9m. Caterpillar C175-16 main engines generating a total of 6,840 bhp will be installed and Rolls-Royce US 255 propulsion units with controllable pitch propellers. A bollard pull ahead of approximately 83 tonnes is quoted, along with 75 tonnes astern and a minimum speed of 12.5 knots.

Markey winches are installed fore and aft, enabling these versatile and powerful vessels to meet the expanding needs of the marine transportation industry. Signet reaffirms its commitment to build reliable, environmentally friendly tugboats that will adhere to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier III emissions regulations.

One month earlier Signet announced a contract for the construction of the Signet Magic, also to an RAL design, in the Signet Shipbuilding & Repair yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Designated an ASD 24/60, this is a quite different vessel, intended primarily to assist vessels in tight quarters in the Pascagoula Harbor and perform ship assist, rig escort, barge, and subsea support work.

This much smaller tug of 24.38m in length and 10.97m beam, is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C Tier III engines supplying a total of 5,150 bhp. The engines will drive two Rolls-Royce US 205 FP fully azimuthing drives to give the tug a bollard pull of 60 tonnes and speed of 12 knots. Deck machinery includes a Markey DEPCF-48 50HP electric towing winch on the foredeck and a Markey DEPC – 32 20 HP electric deck winch on the stern. The forward winch will carry 152m of synthetic fibre towline.

Signet Magic is expected to be delivered by 25 May 2013

Technical specification

Length overall: 32m

Beam: 11.58m

Draft: 5.9m

Bollard pull (ahead): 83 tonnes

Speed: 12.5 knots