Foss Maritime has released a pair of time-lapse videos showing the construction process for the company's newest Arctic-class tug, the Nicole Foss.
Sistership to the Michele Foss and the Denise Foss, the 132’x41’x18′ Nicole Foss is under construction at Foss' Rainier, Ore., shipyard and expected to enter service later this year.
Foss' Arctic-class tugs are an ice class D0 tugs. This means their hulls are designed specifically for polar waters and reinforced to maneuver in ice. The vessels comply with the requirements in the ABS Guide for Building and Classing Vessels Intended to Operate in Polar Waters, including ABS A1 standards, SOLAS and Green Passport.
The two videos show construction on the Nicole Foss from April 2016 to January 2017. The first features the hull assembly, construction, flip and installation of the bow and stern modules, the installation of one of two Caterpillar C280-8 main engines, the superstructure install, and wheelhouse construction.
The second video includes transportation of the hull to Vancouver, Wash., to have a Markey Machinery double-drum tow winch installed, before returning to Rainier for wheelhouse installation.
Like her sisterships, the Nicole Foss is powered by a pair of Caterpillar C280-8 engines putting out a total of 7,268 hp. Reintjes reduction gears turn a pair of fixed-pitch propellers in Nautican kort nozzles. The tug has a bollard pull of 221,000 lbs.
The vessel incorporates several environmentally focused designs and structural and technological upgrades, including:
- Elimination of ballast tanks, so there is no chance of transporting invasive species;
- Holding tanks for black and gray water to permit operations in no-discharge zones (such as parts of Alaska and California);
- Hydraulic oil systems compatible with biodegradable oil;
- Energy efficient LED lighting; and
- High-energy absorption Schuyler fendering.
