Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama, has launched a new escort tug ordered by Metairie, Louisiana-based towage company Maritime Partners.
Defiant is the third in a series of eight tugs built for the same owner. Marauder, the first tug in the same series, was delivered earlier this year.
Design work on all eight tugs in the series was undertaken by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd in compliance with ABS class and US Coast Guard Subchapter M requirements.
Master Boat Builders President Garrett Rice said that the series was constructed to be capable of escort and berthing/unberthing assistance, thus covering operations in both small and large ports.
Upon completion, Defiant will have a length of 88 feet (27 metres), a beam of 43 feet (13 metres), a depth of 19.5 feet (5.94 metres), a deadweight of 207, a gross tonnage of 396, and accommodation for up to six crewmembers.
Two Caterpillar 3516E diesel engines that each produce 3,500 hp (2,600 kW) at 1,800 rpm will drive two Steerprop 3,000mm fixed-pitch, four-bladed propellers housed in Z-drives. This arrangement will deliver a maximum speed of 13 knots and a bollard pull in excess of 90 tonnes.
The deck equipment will includes a Markey Machinery DEPCF-52 75hp (56kW) electric hawser winch, though this can be easily replaced with a Markey DESF-48A 100hp (75kW) escort winch if needed.
The tug will also be equipped with a dedicated pump and two monitors mounted just outside the wheelhouse for external firefighting.