San Francisco Bay Tug Company Building Four New High-Powered Tugs

The multi-million dollar tug boat fleet expansion was announced by Milton Merritt, President of AmNav Maritime Services. The company currently provides ship-docking services on San Francisco Bay and at the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex.

"Our investment will grow and improve our presence in the ship-assist sector," said Merritt. "We are looking forward to expanding our capabilities and providing our customers the best achievable technology available."

AMNAV, a division of Seattle-based Marine Resources Group (MRG), will build the new tugs at an MRG-owned shipyard in Rainier, Oregon. The four "Dolphin-Class" tug boats will be powered by Caterpillar engines link to azimuthing stern drives manufactured by Rolls-Royce. They will have 5,080 horsepower and will be 78 feet long.

"In addition to being among the industry's most powerful ship-assist tugs, these boats will also be among the "greenest," Merritt said. "The engines will be certified under the low-emission standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EPA," he noted, adding that AMNAV also has upgraded a number of its existing tugs with IMO-certified engines.

As the Trans-Pacific trades continue to hit unprecedented levels, Merritt says that the new construction program couldn't be timelier, as shipping companies are deploying the largest ships ever built to maximize utilization and profits in the Pacific.

"Our Dolphin Class boats will be some of the largest docking tugs on the West Coast," Merritt said. "The trend toward bigger ships is growing, and that means we need more horsepower to handle them." The new boats are expected to be in service by early next year.

Contact Details:

Milt Merritt
Office Phone: (510) 834-8847 ext. 5
Mobile Phone: (510) 772-7836
E-Mail:[email protected]
Website: http://www.amnav.com