Crescent Towing and Blakeley BoatWorks, Mobile, Ala., are continuing their partnership with plans to begin construction of hull 115, a new 6,000-hp, Tier 4, Z-drive tugboat, to be added to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River ship assist operations, based in New Orleans, upon completion.
The new escort towing vessel, to be named at a later date, was designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will measure 92'x38' with a draft of 19'. The vessel will be the third in a series of 6,000-hp tugboats that Blakeley BoatWorks has constructed for Crescent Towing. The second vessel in the series, M/V Kentucky, will be delivered to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River operations late this summer.
“Our ongoing newbuild initiative, in partnership with Blakeley BoatWorks, emphasizes our commitment to providing our customers with the most powerful and technologically advanced equipment in the industry,” Scott H. Cooper, president of Crescent Towing, said in a statement announcing the decision to build another in the series. “Following the delivery of Hull 115, we plan to continue this initiative long-term to further strengthen our fleet and best serve our customers.”
Main propulsion will come from twin Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4 engines, each producing 3,004 hp to power Kongsberg 255 fixed pitch azimuthing drives (Z-drives).
“Our team is always working relentlessly to provide the highest quality ship assist towing service in the United States,” said Keith Kettenring, executive vice president and CEO of Crescent Towing. “Adding new 6,000-hp, Tier 4, Z-drive tugboats to our fleet provides our team with more incredible tools to continue to offer the safest and most reliable towing services on the Mississippi River.”
“Blakeley BoatWorks is honored to continue our partnership with Crescent Towing to construct this series of 6,000-hp tugboats,” said Swathin Kannalath, managing director of Blakeley BoatWorks. “The opportunity to construct some of the most advanced tugboats operating on the Mississippi River is very exciting for our entire team.”
