Six new tugs – all to Macduff designs

The variety of vessel type and the shipyards involved illustrate the growing popularity of this Scottish designer.

The recent completion of the 16m twin screw multi-purpose tug Eileen McLoughlin is the second tug of its type built for John McLoughlin & Sons in Belfast by MacDuff Shipyard Ltd. This latest vessel follows on from the success of the similar 16m Sally McLoughlin completed in 2009 for work in Belfast and Larne. Eileen McLoughlin is the third 16m vessel to enter service recently and the fifth since the design was conceived in 2008.

Measuring16m in length overall, 6.2m beam with a moulded depth of 2.9m, the tug is equipped with two Doosan 4V222 TIH main engines rated at 790 bhp and driving 1,850mm diameter fixed pitch propellers in nozzles through Twin Disc MGX5222DC Quick Shift 6.96:1 gearboxes.

On trials the vessel achieved an average free running speed of 10.5 knots will a bollard pull ahead of some 24 tonnes and an astern pull of 17 tonnes. Manoeuvrability is optimised with twin high performance aerofoil rudders and a Kort KT90 bow thrusters, giving 0.62 tonnes of thrust.

Performance astern is particularly important for this owner. The tug is equipped for towing over the bow, when shiphandling, with a North Sea Winches towing winch with a line pull of 9 tonnes and brake holding load of 40 tonnes. A 120m towline of 38mm Euroneema rope is deployed via a specially designed towing fairlead in the bow.

For towing astern a Mampaey DCX 18/25 tow hook is fitted and the tow line controlled by a gog eye and a hydraulic winch. A 60m towline of 20mm SWR is used with a 30m pennant 30mm Euroneema rope. This winch also serves the portable aft gantry used for plough dredging duties. The deck machinery is complemented with a Guerra M60.90A hydraulic crane with a capacity of 1.0 tonne at 6.0m radius.

In October two very similar 16m tugs, the Seladang 1 and Seladang 2, were handed over by the Boustead Langkawi shipyard in Malaysia for use at the Boustead Heavy Industries Group naval shipyard at Lumut. The tugs are virtually identical to the Sally McLoughlin previously mentioned and are the third and fourth tugs built by Langkawi to Macduff designs. A formal cooperation agreement between Boustead and Macduff is now into its third year.

Seladang 1 and Seladang 2 will be used for towing and pushing duties in Lumut but have the capability to carry out commercial harbour and coastal towing, having accommodation for a crew of four. Two Doosan 4V222 TIH main engines, Twin Disc MGX5222DC 6.0:1 Quick Shift gearboxes and 1,700mm diameter propellers in nozzles give the tugs a bollard pull of 20 tonnes and free running speed of 10.5 knots.

In September the new 20.35m ASD tug TSM Brehat was delivered by the Padmos Shipyard at Stellendam in the Netherlands to its owners, Thomas Services Maritimes in Rouen. The tug is a slightly modified sister ship to the TSM Albatre, delivered in February 2013 (MJ – March 2013). Designed by Macduff Ship Design, the compact ‘multi-purpose’ tug is powered by two Mitsubishi S12R MPTAW-2 main engines generating a total of 2,575 bhp coupled to Rolls-Royce US155FP propulsion units for a bollard pull of over 32 tonnes

Jedda 4 is the first of two 25m ASD tugs designed by Macduff to enter service and is part of a multi-vessel order placed by ATCO in Saudi Arabia with Torgem Shipbuilding in Turkey. With an overall length of 25m, beam of 10.5m and moulded depth of 4.75m, the vessel is classed by Bureau Veritas BV-I HULL MACH TUG AUT-UMS Unrestricted Navigation.

Powered by twin Yanmar 6Ey22AW main engines rated at 885kW each and driving Schottel SRP 1012 CP propulsion units, the vessel achieved a bollard pull towing ahead of 30.7 tonnes and 28.5 tonnes astern along with a free running speed of 12 knots.

Deck equipment includes an Ibercisa towing winch on the foredeck with a line pull of 20 tonnes and brake load of 90 tonnes and a Mampaey 50 tonne towing hook and a hydraulic deck crane with a lifting capacity of 1.5 tonnes at 8m reach. Although not classed as a fire fighting vessel the tug has two monitors, each with a capacity of 600m3 of water from one 1,350 m3 fire pump.

Spacious accommodation is provided for a crew of seven in three single and two double cabins (all en-suite), a galley, mess and laundry.

Jazan 4, recently completed by Torgem, is the first of four 30m ASD fire-fighting tugs to be designed by Macduff and destined for the same Saudi multi-vessel order. The remainder are under construction.

Classed to Bureau Veritas; BV-I HULL MACH TUG FIRE FIGHTING SHIP 1 AUT-UMS Unrestricted Navigation, the vessel measures 30m in length with a beam of 11m and an operating draft aft of about 5.2m. Twin Yanmar 6Ey22AW main engines, each rated at 1,330kW, drive Schottel SRP 1012 CP ASD propulsion units to achieve a bollard pull ahead of 44.5 tonnes and 38.8 tonnes astern and a free running speed of 13 knots.

Jazan 4 is equipped to FiFi 1 standard, with two monitors of 1,200m3 capacity, each supplied by two main engine driven pumps rated at 1,329m3 capacity.

These vessels also have an Ibercisa towing winch forward, with a line pull of 20 tonnes and brake load of 130 tonnes and a Mampaey 65 tonne towing hook and a hydraulic deck crane aft.

Accommodation is provided for up to nine persons in a mixture of single and twin berth cabins with en-suite and communal washing facilities, a galley/mess and laundry.