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50-metre LOA, 120-plus tonnes BP RAincoast Guardian Class Escort/Rescue Tugs for Northern Gateway Pipelines.
Catching up with the new wave Exciting times as local fleets expanding with state-of-the-art terminal tugs
here was something very special about 2019. And the wave that built throughout the year may crest even higher in 2020 and beyond. The early and middle parts of the recently passed decade were full of ambitious project proposals, primarily related to the oil and gas export boom from
British Columbia that never quite materialized as planned. Acting in a consulting role to many project proponents during that time, it was at times difficult to witness several projects with grandiose ambitions and what would have been equally grand tug fleets that ultimately fizzled due to various financial and political pressures. But the tide notably shifted in the latter part of the decade, with positive final investment decisions for several large projects, with some of the most notable from a tug designer’s perspective being AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal near Prince Rupert, Trans Mountain’s Pipeline Expansion Project in Burnaby and the LNG Canada project in Kitimat. SAAM Towage made the first big splash in the early part of 2019, first with the arrival of the SST Orca and SST Grizzly, a pair of RAstar 3200s designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Hong Kong-headquartered Cheoy Lee Shipyards’ Hin Lee yard. Escort rated and with 80 tonnes of bollard pull, the addition of these two tugs to the Vancouver fleet signalled that the local fleet was ready to handle expanding vessel traffic and increasing requirements for tug escort.
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B.C. Tugboat 2020
