Rolls-Royce has signed a contract to deliver propulsion and deck machinery for 13 new tugs, including five which will[ds_preview] have a direct bollard pull of around 150t. The contract with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) is worth more than 38 mill. €. The tugs are being designed and built at Chouest-affiliated U.S-shipyards. The five most powerful tugs will be 45m long and 17m wide, making them the world’s largest of their kind to date.
Rolls-Royce scope of delivery includes both large azimuth thrusters and winch packages, enabling the tugs to efficiently perform their main duties; general harbour assistance, braking or steering the vessel, or performing deep sea towing. Eight of the vessels ordered by ECO will be equipped with two US 255 Fixed Pitch thrusters, while five will have US 60 Controllable Pitch Propellers. All 13 vessels will be equipped with towing winches plus auxiliary winches, all based on low-pressure hydraulics. The five largest of the tugs are to be equipped with winches with dynamic towing capability in the full bollard pull range, this is instead of towing on static brake which is most common for these type of vessels. The dynamic towing capability of the low-pressure hydraulic reduces risk during a towing operation, and reduces wear and tear on tow gear.
