VESSEL REVIEW | Saam James Point – Versatile ASD tug to serve Canada’s Vancouver Harbour

Saam Towage has taken delivery of a new ASD harbour tug for its operations in Canada.

The Bureau Veritas-classed Saam James Point was built by Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam for operation in Southern British Columbia. The newbuild is named after Musqueam Point family patriarch James Point, who had also gained fame as a fisherman.

Measuring 23 by 12 metres and with a draught of 5.5 metres and a displacement of 485 tonnes, the tug has a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and a speed of 13 knots thanks to two Caterpillar 3512C IMO Tier III main engines with a total rated output of 3,804 kW at 1,800 rpm driving Kongsberg Maritime thrusters that house 2,800mm propellers. An obstacle-free working deck provides a safe working environment for the six-strong crew.

The fendering consists of cylindrical and W-block bow fenders, D fenders at the sides, and a cylindrical fender at the transom corners.

Saam Towage Technical Manager Pablo Cáceres remarked that the tug has technology that reduces environmental impact and is highly manoeuvrable thanks to its size, an innovative hull design, manoeuvre winch settings, and installed capacity. Mark Bingham, Saam VP Operations and Indigenous Relations Officer, added that the characteristics of the tug design will complement the various berth configurations in Vancouver Harbour.

The MLC 2006-compliant crew accommodations include four air-conditioned cabins and a mess with galley on the main deck and sanitary facilities on the lower deck. The accommodation spaces are all completely insulated and finished with modern durable linings and floating floors. The wheelhouse also has an acoustical ceiling.

The navigation and communication electronics include a radar and an AIS from Furuno, a Skipper echosounder, radios from Motorola and Sailor, a GPS and an autopilot from Simrad, a Cassens and Plath compass, and a Gill Instruments anenometer. A Norselight 2,000W searchlight is also fitted. Power for these and all other onboard systems is supplied by two Caterpillar C4.4 generators.

Also fitted are Azcue pumps, Coalester fuel oil filters, CC Jensen fuel oil purifiers, a 54.6-cubic-metre fuel oil tank, and a 7.8-cubic-metre freshwater tank.

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