VESSEL REVIEW | Mary Jane Moran – Moran Towing's new escort tug to serve Texas Gulf Coast ship traffic
New Canaan, Connecticut-based Moran Towing Corporation recently placed a new ASD harbour tug into service.
Mary Jane Moran will replace the earlier Moran tug Cape Ann in serving the busy Beaumont and Port Arthur region in Texas. Her duties will include general harbour towing, escort, and ship assist.
Durable, agile design for harbour and coastal use
The 192GT, all-steel tug was designed by Crowley Engineering Services and built by Master Boat Builders of Coden, Alabama. She has a total installed power of 5,100 hp (3,800 kW), measures 86 feet (26 metres) in length with a 36-foot (11-metre) beam, and is both LEV (low emissions vessel) certified and ABS escort rated.
A maximum draught of 16 feet (4.9 metres) will permit operation even in restrictive waters.
Moran Towing said the new tug carries +A-1 Towing Service, +AMS, and LEV classifications and is designed to meet the evolving demands of modern harbours with strength, versatility, and manoeuvrability.
Two Caterpillar 3512E main engines drive two Kongsberg Maritime US 205 Z-drives with fixed-pitch propellers to propel the tug to speeds of up to 12.5 knots and enable it to achieve a bollard pull of 67.55 tons.
Kongsberg also provided the steering system while a John Deere 4045 diesel generator supplies service power for the onboard systems, which include two Furuno radars and two searchlights mounted on the wheelhouse roof.
Versatile deck equipment configuration coupled with low emissions
The wheelhouse itself boasts all-round visibility and upward-facing windows to provide the crew with enhanced situational awareness, particularly when manoeuvring alongside and assisting larger vessels such as tankers and containerships within her area of operations near the Gulf Coast.
The tug’s tank capacities are 21,750 gallons (82,330 litres), 4,940 gallons (18,700 litres) and 575 gallons (2,180 litres) for fuel oil, freshwater and lube oil, respectively, while accommodation is available for six crewmembers.
The tug is equipped with a Markey Machinery hawser winch on the bow for enhanced line handling capabilities during towing and escort operations as well as selective catalytic reduction systems to remove NOx from the engine exhaust in compliance with US EPA Tier IV emissions regulations.
Five wiper systems were provided by Inmar Systems.
