PACIFIC MARITIME MAGAZINE
Offshore and Coastal Towing
By Jim Shaw
The towing industry has been playing second fiddle to the ship assist and escort sectors for many years as new propulsion technologies have been introduced to the latter, including azimuthing and cycloidal drives, but extensive offshore petroleum work has changed that picture and a number of new towing tugs and specialized barges are being built. This has seen Crowley Maritime introduce its four Ocean class tugs, two of which recently towed the Shell offshore rig Polar Pioneer to Alaska (see Pacific Maritime Magazine, July 2015), while Foss has been turning out three Arctic class boats at its Rainier, Oregon yard, one already making an Alaska sealift from Asia. Upriver from the Rainier yard, the JT Marine facility at Vancouver….. MORE
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