Canadian towage company HaiSea Marine, a joint venture business formed by the Haisla Nation of British Columbia and local shipping line Seaspan, has taken delivery of two LNG-fuelled ASD tugs in a series that will be used primarily to escort gas carriers between the Pacific Ocean and British Columbia's coastal waters. The vessels are notable for their dual-fuel propulsion that runs on both LNG and diesel, making them among the first LNG-fuelled tugs to be operated in Canada.
Following delivery, the tugs have been put to use escorting gas carriers between the Pacific Ocean and LNG Canada's new export terminal in British Columbia. The newbuilds each have a length of The dual-fuel propulsion delivers a bollard pull of more than tonnes The propulsion also has the ability to generate indirect forces in escort of approximately tonnes tons. Percy said the engines on each tug produce a combined 6, kW 8, hp of power, making these the most powerful escort tugs on Canada's West Coast.
HaiSea was developed to help support this project and fill that need as a joint venture partnership between Seaspan and the Haisla Nation. When the team was in the early stages of creating HaiSea, Seaspan promised the Haisla Nation that it would protect their home waters with the greenest tug fleet in the world, and that HaiSea would create job opportunities for the Haisla Nation and surrounding First Nations communities.
Although the tugs will feature an exhaust gas aftertreatment system in full compliance with IMO Tier III emissions standards, they will actually perform the entirety of their regular escort missions using LNG as fuel. RAL claims that, when operating in this mode on the nautical-mile escort routes in each direction from Kitimat to the pilot station near Triple Island, the vessels' emissions, in particular those of CO2, will be significantly reduced compared to even IMO Tier III standards.
This is a new development for tugs of this type and provides the navigating crew with flexibility when approaching new jobs. The enclosed Markey tow winches, which are custom-built for the tugs, are of full rend to recover design, utilising synthetic tow lines. The accommodations are meanwhile outfitted to a high standard with spacious dedicated cabins and en suite toilets for all regular crew. The interiors also benefit from natural light, and well in excess of regulatory standards.
