McAllister Towing and Transportation decided to build Capt. Brian A. McAllister, the most powerful docking and escort tug in its fleet, to handle big containerships expected in East Coast ports following the recent expansion of the Panama Canal.
This spring, the 6,772-bhp Capt. Brian was nearing completion at Horizon Shipbuilding in Bayou La Batre, Ala. A sister vessel, Rosemary McAllister, was scheduled for delivery this summer, and McAllister has exercised an option on a third tug. The lead boats, named after the company’s chairman and his wife, were designed by Seattle-based Jensen Maritime Consultants.
Martin Costa, McAllister’s engineering manager, said Capt. Brian “is set up for extra-large container vessels.”
The canal’s new locks are 1,400 feet long, 180 feet wide and 60 feet deep, permitting ULCVs (ultra large container vessels) to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. East Coast ports served by McAllister could see containerships up to 1,200 feet long with beams up to 160 feet. When they arrive, Brian and Rosemary will be ready to escort them safely in and out of the harbor and assist them to and from their berths.
In addition to handling containerships, these tugs are set up for rescue operations and can work with LNG.
McAllister wants these boats to be as versatile as possible. Capt. Brian is equipped with a powerful Markey Machinery bow winch. The 100-hp electric single-drum hawser winch boasts 350,000 pounds of line pull and an adjustable brake holding force of 253 tons. It also features Markey’s render/recover automatic tensioning system.
Costa said that winch is more than enough for ship escorting and docking, meaning the tug will be well suited to handle larger ships at the port of New York/New Jersey, where Capt. Brian A. McAllister is expected to work.
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