Kootenay – compact and agile

This is the second brand new tug to be purpose designed and built for the reletively new company Samson Tugs based at Delta on the Fraser River, a few miles from Vancouver.

The first tug, Shuswap, was completed in the fourth quarter of 2011 and has proved to be highly successful (MJ October 2011). Kootenay is a slightly larger vessel but considerably more powerful. Both vessels were built to designs by local naval architect AG McIlwain and intended specifically for operation operation in the confined waters of the Fraser River and elsewhere in the locality. The names were chosen as a tribute to the local tugboat industry and very early vessels bearing the same names.

Kootenay was constructed by ABD Shipyards on the shores of North Vancouver and launched on the 10th of December 2012. The honour of sponsoring and christening the new tug, in the presence of industry representatives, went to Bonnie Gee, Vice President of the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia

The tug measures 19.6m in length overall with a massive beam of 9.8m. The single chine hull incorporates bevelled chines and a tubular docking skeg to give the vessel a rapid rate of turn and great stability. In keeping with many McIlwain designed ASD tugs, Kootenay has a high raised foredeck and in plan-view the bow has a wide radius and is heavily fendered to spread the load during push-pull shiphandling operations. The fendering extends aft to surround the entire vessel, and comprises mainly, tubular, loop and laminate rubber from Schuyler Rubber.

A pair of MTU 16V4000 diesels, rated at 2500bhp each, supply the power to drive two fully azimuthing HRP 7111WM propulsion units fitted with fixed pitch propellers. The result is a bollard pull of 60 tonnes and incredible manouevrability.

A Markey DYS-42, single drum, towing winch dominates the foredeck and is mounted just a few metres forward of the tugmasters control position. The winch is equiped with full ‘render and recover’ capability, enabling line tension and towline length to be monitored and controlled.

The deck layout has been kept as free of obstructions as possible and the configuration is typical of a McIlwain tug of its size and traceable through several generations of small, rugged ASD designs built for local operators.

Samson Managing Director Gordon Yahn described the performance of Kootenay to Maritime Journal. “She is a remarkable tug! With 5000 horsepower packed into a 20m hull she is strong, agile and perfect for working in the fast waters of the Fraser River. During peak freshet in the spring time, currents can reach up to 6 knots which requires plenty of muscle from the tugs when turning ships. The berths themselves do not leave much sea room for the ship and her tugs – so the Fraser River tug must be compact. Samson and McIlwain have had several enquiries from tug operators around the world interested in this powerful, innovative design.”