Holyhead Towing Continues Growth
With vessels working in such diverse marine locals as the Mediterranean and Caspian Seas, the Persian Gulf and West Africa Holyhead Towing Company has build a reputation for quality vessels.
One of their particular strengths is their shallow-draft but ocean capable tugs. These boats with drafts of between two and three meters have the power to move heavy pieces of equipment and anchors. In 2009 and 2010 two more of this class of vessels have been added to the fleet. With loaded drafts of 2.5 meters the 25 by 9.5-meter vessels were built at the Hepworth Shipyard Ltd at Paull on England’s River Humber. The two vessels vary slightly in that the 2009-delivered Ak Bars has 2,200 HP while the 2010-delivered Afon Las has 2600 HP giving it a 28-tonne bollard pull and 11-knot free running speed.
Built to meet contract requirements in the shallow northern section of the Caspian Sea, the Afon Las will be flagged in Kazakhstan, whose western boarder is marked by the northern part of Caspian. It is here in the shallowest part of the Caspian Sea that the new boat will work servicing the oil industry. It is also in the shallow northern section that the Caspian is most prone to freezing. To provide a range of duties in these harsh conditions, the boat is ice strengthened and designed for carry cargo and passengers in addition to being a capable towing and pushing vessel.
The muscle for this beamy shallow-draft tug is provided by a pair of Cummins KTA 38 M1 engines each developing 1300 HP at 1800 RPM. The engines turn fixed pitch propellers in tunnels through ZF W7500 ice-classed gears with 4.939:1 reduction. Two Cummins 6B5.9D2(M)-powered 78 kW generators meet the boat’s electrical needs. A third auxiliary, this one a 188 HP Cummins 6CT8.3 D(M) engine turns a hydraulic pump to power the deck machinery and a tunnel-type bow thruster.
There is a lot to be said for experience in the design and construction of a purpose-built tug and the people at Holyhead Towing and Hepworth Shipyard say it all with this tidy tug.
For further information
Holyhead Towing
Phone: 44 0 1407 760111
Fax: 44 0 1407 764531
E-mail: towing@holyhead.co.uk
Martin Stainton
General Manager
Hepworth Shipyard Ltd.
Paull
Nr. Hull
England
HU128AN
Phone: 44 0 1482 338817
Fax: 44 0 1482 338820
E-mail: hepworths@rix.co.uk
Alan Haig-Brown
Over 30 years as an author for global commercial marine and fishing publications backed with hands-on experience on commercial fishing boats and coastal freighters makes Alan Haig-Brown uniquely qualified to provide vessel reference articles for Cummins Marine. You can find him in shipyards around the world, and on his own website, www.haig-brown.com.
