US operator Crowley has taken delivery of a new chartered tug, which will assist ships and provide escorts in the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The company announced on October 13 that the 82-foot (25-metre) Venture was built by Diversified Marine on the Columbia River. The US-built tug is Jones Act compliant.
Venture is powered by twin Caterpillar 3516 EPA Tier IV-compliant engines with a combined output of more than 6,000 hp (4,474 kW), driving azimuth stern drive (ASD) thrusters. Crowley said the tug can achieve a bollard pull of up to 95 tons.
The vessel will support the transit, docking and undocking of cargo ships in the San Pedro Bay port complex, where Crowley's ship assist fleet operates.
Venture joins sister Tier IV tugs Athena, Apollo, Hercules and Artemis in Crowley's west coast fleet, all of which were also built by Diversified Marine. Hercules and Athena were initially assigned to Puget Sound, while Apollo entered service in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021.