Crowley’s third Ocean Class tug christened

First of class, Ocean Wave entered service in 2012, followed by Ocean Wind, Ocean Sky and Ocean Sun. The newbuild programme has been a significant development in the North American tug building community and indeed beyond, and all four are now proving themselves through involvement with most major offshore production installations in the Gulf of Mexico as well as other notable assignments.

A high-profile list of around 140 people attended Ocean Sky’s christening with proceedings opened by Todd Busch, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley’s solutions group. He was followed by a series of speakers including Joe Huley, vice president, NC Power Systems, and Bruce Greshman, vice president, Heerema Marine Contractors, a Crowley customer who spoke about the 20-year relationship the two companies have enjoyed – a relationship, he remarked was based on “mutual trust, cooperation and responsibility to achieve the same goals.” The tug was blessed by Father Sinclair Oubre: Jennifer Legg, Crowley’s assistant treasurer and vessel sponsor completed the formalities in the traditional manner by breaking a ceremonial bottle of champagne across the hull of the tug.

The origins of individual tugs can often be identified by their appearance and profile. North American designers and builders have their own particular style that usually identify them from say their European counterparts. In the Ocean Class of tug, those responsible have produced an aesthetically pleasing yet traditional vessel that clearly means business sending the message of power and performance.

Equipped to DP2 standard, the Ocean Sky, along with its sisters, were designed to work with Crowley’s new 455 series high deck strength barges. They are also outfitted for long-range, high capacity ocean towing; rig moves; platform and floating production FPSO tows; emergency response and fire-fighting. They have a minimum bollard pull of 150t, a range of 12,600 nautical miles and top speed of 15 knots. Propulsion is provided by a traditional twin-screw, controllable pitch propeller within nozzles arrangement and high lift rudders.

During the first ever pairing of all four tugs, they worked together to tow the largest offshore oil production and drilling platform of its kind ever to be built for use in the US Gulf of Mexico, the 120,000t TLP Olympus for the 425-mile passage from Ingleside, Texas to its final location in more than 3,000 feet of water. Later they towed, moored and made storm safe the Jack/St. Malo topside at a depth of 7,000 feet and are scheduled to team up again for movement of Delta House floating production platform and Chevron’s TLP Bigfoot in the coming months.

By Peter Barker