Catching up with the new wave

Exciting times as local fleets expanding with state-of-the-art terminal tugs

There 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.

Only a few short months later, SAAM took delivery of the SST Tsimshian Warrior from Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard for its Prince Rupert, B.C. fleet. Custom-designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to meet the requirements of escorting very large gas carriers (VLGCs) from AltaGas’ new propane export terminal, this 32-metre-long, 80-tonne bollard pull, IMO Tier III compliant (a first for Canada) RAstar 3200-W tug was a star at AltaGas’ grand opening ceremony held in May, undoubtedly one of the local industry’s highlights of the year. This new arrival set a new high bar for escort performance and environmental stewardship not just for Prince Rupert, but also for the entire coast, and was recently honoured as one of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ Significant Small Ships of 2019.

In July, Seaspan made clear that they too were ready for this next wave, with the announcement of a $6.5-million training program, including the commissioning of a stateof-the-art real-time vessel simulator at their facilities in North Vancouver. But the biggest news came in August, with the announcement that HaiSea Marine, the Seaspan/ Haisla First Nation joint venture, had secured a 12-year contract for escort and harbour towage to the LNG Canada project, valued at approximately $500 million. As announced, these tugs are being designed by Robert Allan Ltd. specifically for the requirements of the project and are expected to generate significant excitement upon their arrival in B.C.

Blessing ceremony of the SST Tsimshian Warrior.

And albeit not a new build, many readers will likely have noticed the recent arrival in Vancouver of the tug Point Valiant as an addition to Island Tug & Barge’s fleet. This tug has the distinction of having been built in Canada in 1998 by Groupe Ocean’s shipyard in Quebec to a Robert Allan Ltd. RApport 2400 design.

With several export projects currently under construction, and still others potentially on the horizon, it will be very exciting to welcome this new wave of truly world-class tugs that have and will be joining the local fleet in 2020 and beyond.