In October, WorkBoat
editor in chief David Krapf toured Crowley
Maritime Corp.’s new Ocean-class tug — the Ocean Wind — with John Ara, Crowley’s vice president, business
development, and Capt. Brian Cain, captain of the Ocean Wind.
You can watch the full video of the tour, with shots of the wheelhouse, accommodations, engine room, and more, right here:
Along with the Ocean
Wave, the 146’x46’ DP-1 tugs were built at Bollinger Marine Fabricators in Amelia, La. The second pair of
tugs, the Ocean Sun and Ocean Sky, will be DP-2, which involves
lengthening the hull 10’ to accommodate the extra equipment. The Sun and the Sky are underway at Bollinger and are scheduled for delivery on Feb.
25 and April 19.
The new tugs are outfitted for long-range, high-capacity
ocean towing, rig moves, platform and floating production, storage and
offloading (FPSO) unit tows, emergency response and firefighting.
The tugs’ Caterpillar
C-280 5,440-hp main engines and Cat generators are all EPA Tier II
compliant. For safety, the new tugs feature waterfall-style winches, shark jaws
and retractable pins that can all be controlled from the pilothouse. This will
keep the deck clear of personnel and reduce the risk of accidents.
The Wave and Wind have a Berg VFD, 850-hp electric
bowthruster, while the DP-2 Sun and Sky will have two Berg VFD 500-hp
electric bowthrusters and a Berg 500-hp stern thruster.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Crowley Holdings Inc., is the holding company of the 120-year-old
Crowley Maritime, a privately held family and employee-owned company.