Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the first EPA Tier 4 emissions-compliant tugboats is destined for California, a state where residents and regulators are passionate about clean air.
JT Marine in Vancouver, Wash., is building the 110-foot Caden Foss, named after Caden Hansen, a great-great-grandson of company founders Andrew and Thea Foss. Foss Maritime has chartered the 6,772-hp azimuth stern drive (ASD) vessel, owned by Vessel Chartering LLC, a subsidiary of Baydelta Navigation Ltd. Delivery is scheduled for late June 2017.
Caden Foss is a multipurpose tugboat designed and equipped for standby, ship-assist and escort assignments. It is also available for rescue towing. The vessel will work from Chevron Long Wharf in Richmond, Calif., for Foss client and energy giant Chevron.
“Chevron committed to put a Tier 4 tugboat into service as part of the Richmond Refinery Modernization Project approved by the city of Richmond in 2014, so that was the driver for us to look for a Tier 4 boat,” said Foss Chief Operating Officer Scott Merritt.
Foss worked to develop a tugboat design that could be built quickly and also meet Chevron’s specifications and deadlines. Within days of choosing a shipyard, Foss learned about the Tier 4 tug Vessel Chartering was building on spec at JT Marine.
Merritt said the vessel was similar to the one Foss designed but with several improvements. Given the good business history between Foss and Vessel Chartering, as well as the capabilities and delivery date of the spec vessel, Foss decided to charter it for three years with an option to buy.
“It gave us a little more comfort in the timeline, but also, in our minds, provided a little bit better platform for what we wanted to do. So it was kind of a win-win,” Merritt said.
Jensen Maritime Consultants and Vessel Chartering jointly designed Caden Foss, which is essentially a stretched version of Jensen’s proven 100-foot ASD tug. Initially, the tug will assist and escort tankers to and from San Francisco Bay refineries. Merritt is confident in the design.
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