The Vane Brothers Company, Baltimore, has taken delivery of its 12th Sassafras-class oceangoing tugboat from Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp.
The 94’x32’x13’ Fort McHenry is equipped with twin Caterpillar 3512 main engines producing a combined 3,000hp, and a single drum hydraulic winch from JonRie of New Jersey.
The 11th tug in the series, the Fort Schuyler, was delivered in November 2015.
The Salisbury, Md.-based Chesapeake builds all of its tugs in a controlled indoor environment prior to launch in Maryland’s Wicomico River.
Chesapeake has five additional tugs under construction for Vane Brothers. In November, the two companies inked a deal for the 15th, 16th, and 17th oceangoing tugs in a series of orders going back to 2008.
Vane Brothers has served the maritime industry in the Port of Baltimore and along the East Coast since 1898. With a fleet of nearly 150 tugs and barges, the company provides a wide range of maritime services such as bunkering, launch services, and safety equipment inspection.
