VESSEL REVIEW | Cao Gang 30 – Ship assist and firefighting tugs for China’s Caofeidian Port

China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard recently delivered two harbour tugs in a series to local owner Tangshan Port Caofeidian Tug Company for operation out of Caofeidian Port in Hebei province, northern China.

Designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd, Cao Gang 30 and Cao Gang 31 will be operated in Bohai Bay where they will perform duties including towing, ship assist, and firefighting. Design work was completed in compliance to China Classification Society rules.

Each tug has an LOA of 34.7 metres, a moulded beam of 11 metres, a maximum draught of 4.94 metres, a moulded depth of 5.19 metres, and a gross tonnage of approximately 500. The propulsion machinery consists of two Yanmar 8EY26W engines that each produce 2,390 kW at 750 rpm and two Schottel SRP 460FP Z-drives with 2,700mm propellers. Trials showed that this arrangement can generate a bollard pull of 81.5 tonnes and a free running speed of 13.1 knots.

Each tug is equipped with deck machinery consisting of a hawser winch, two windlasses at the bow, and a towing winch on the aft deck. These were provided by Karmøy Winch. Also fitted on each tug are a Furuno radar and a foam/water firefighting monitor.

Fenders for ship-handling at the bow consist of an upper row of cylindrical fenders and a lower course of W-fender. Sheer line fendering consists of “D” rubbers and a W-fendering at the stern.

The wheelhouse on each tug has a split-type control station, allowing a single crewmember to operate the vessel facing either forward or aft.

The 10-strong crew are housed in single cabins in compliance to Chinese statutory requirements. The master and the chief engineer are housed in separate single cabins in the deckhouse while the remaining eight crewmembers have cabins on the lower accommodation deck. The deckhouse also contains a mess and a galley.

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