TOWLINES

Britain’s last purpose built Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV), Anglian Monarch, has been sold by J P Knight (Caledonian) Ltd to Resolve Pioneer LLC, part of the Resolve Marine Group. Anglian Monarch was completed in 1999 by Matsura Tekko in Japan for Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd. A vessel of 58m in length, the tug was fitted with two Niigata 6MG41HX diesels driving controllable pitch propellers in nozzles for a bollard pull of 152 tonnes and a speed of 11.75 knots. Renamed Resolve Monarch, the vessel sailed from Invergordon in August 2013 for Panama to pick up a tow bound for New Zealand.

San Francisco based tugowners Baydelta Maritime LLC has ordered a new 90 tonnes bollard pull ASD escort tug from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island, Washington state USA. The 30.48m tug will be the ninth Jensen designed Delta class tug to be built at the yard and it’s sixth new tug for Baydelta. Two Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines with a combined maximum power of 6,800 bhp, coupled to Rolls-Royce US 255 FP propulsion units will power the vessel. The winches fore and aft will be supplied by Markey and the fendering by SSR Marine fenders LLC.

After being inactive for more than a year following an accident, the Shetland tugs Solan and Bonxie are to return to service. Handling difficulties caused by a water flow problem beneath the hull have now been solved. Computational fluid analysis was used to detect the cause of poor directional stability, which has been rectified by the addition of four small fins. The Spanish built 40m tugs, with 70 tonnes bollard pull, are the most powerful to be used at the Sullom Voe terminal but have not performed satisfactorily since they were delivered in 2011.