Strengthening their fleet

Island Tug puts work in workboats

British Columbia-based Island Tug and Barge (ITB), a subsidiary of Tidewater Canada, has spent the first quarter of 2020 busy utilizing their two new custombuilt articulated tug and barges (ATB), Island Raider and Island Regent, as well as their newly chartered vessel assist and ship escort tug, the Point Valiant.

“The ATBs were built to meet and exceed all regulatory and industry established standards of operation, provide crew comfort and endurance and efficiently and reliably serve our clients and the communities along the B.C. coast,” explains Adrian Samuel, ITB president. “In the past year of service, these new ATBs have surpassed our expectations.”

The tugs Island Raider and Island Regent were largely built at ITB’s Annacis Island Shipyard in 2017. When it was time to relocate the tugs in May 2018, ITB worked with Mammoet, Dynamic Heavy Lift and Ironclad Marine, and in order for the tugs to be moved onto the Dynamic Beast, a crane barge that was moored to a temporary set of pilings in the Fraser River, they had to be moved over a below-grade railroad siding,

three sets of tracks and a 40-foot declining berm, as well as under a set of transmission power lines. The two tugs were transported by the Beast downriver to the Port of Vancouver, B.C. There, the 900-ton capacity crane lifted the two 384-ton tugs off the barge and into the harbour.

The Island Raider was outfitted and christened at ITB’s Berry Point facility on Sept. 28, 2018; the Island Regent was transported to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island, Washington state, where construction was completed in May 2019. The christening of the Island Regent took place on June 20, 2019, also at Berry Point.

Both state-of-the-art tugs were designed by acclaimed Robert Allan Ltd. naval architects and marine engineers of Vancouver, B.C. and were paired with ITB’s 26,650-barrel capacity, double-hulled oil tank barges, the ITB Reliant and ITB Resolution. Main propulsion for the 24-metre (length) by 12.5-metre (beam) Island Raider and Island Regent is provided by twin Cummins KTA38M 634 KW engines, producing 850 horsepower each at 1,800 rpm. Through carbon fiber shafts, the main engines connect to two 1,600-millimetre, four-bladed in-nozzle Rolls Royce US105 FP azimuthing thrusters (Z-drives), providing maximum thrust and enhanced maneuverability. The joined ATBs have a

Point Valiant.

fully loaded speed of 10 knots, with almost no vibration in the cabin.

In order to bring an unmatched level of experience and service to harbour towing and vessel escort work, this past autumn, ITB chartered the Point Valiant. With over 4,000 horsepower, 45 MT bollard pull, gross tonnage of 178 T, the Point Valiant is designed for maneuverability and performance.

“For over 50 years, our clients have trusted ITB’s expertise in the safe and reliable transportation of bulk refined petroleum products and bunker fuels,” says Dylan Proctor, ITB business development manager. “We are dedicated to providing the most effective and efficient solutions, so we will continue to expand the capabilities of our fleet in the years to come.” Ü

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