PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Signet Maritime Corporation announced
this week it has awarded a contract for the construction of two Robert Allan
Ltd. designed tugs to Patti Marine Enterprises, in Pensacola, Fla. This
marks the ninth Signet/Robert Allan Ltd. design in five years, the company said.
Construction commenced in November 2012 with an expected delivery of
December 2013 for the first vessel and March 2014 for the second vessel.
Continuing the longstanding Signet tradition of naming vessels in honor of
America’s Cup winners, the new RAmparts 3200 ASD tugs will be named M/V Signet
Intrepid and M/V Signet Vigilant.
These vessels will be the fifth and sixth ASD tugboats
delivered for Signet in less than three years, the release said, and will
operate from the International Operations Center in Ingleside, Texas, where
they will primarily be used to perform offshore and inshore rig escort, barge,
and subsea support work.
Signet said it is again reaffirming its commitment to
building environmentally conscious tugboats that will adhere to the
Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier III emissions regulations. The tugs will
also feature C175-16 CAT engines, Markey Model DEPCF-52S winch, and Rolls Royce
US 255 controllable pitch Z-drives. With 83 tons of bollard pull, these vessels
will be powerful and offer improved reliability to handle the expanding needs
of the marine transportation industry.