INDUSTRY NEWS & ANALYSIS
In 2010, Nichols Brothers completed a series of five 98 ft. Jensen-designed Valor class tugs
powered by Caterpillar 3516c engines driving Rolls-Royce Z-drives.
blend of algae-based biodiesel and
NATO F- 76 fuel.
Northwest yards have also prof-
ited by meeting the need for special-
purpose tugs, custom catamarans
and ferries.
J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding, Tacoma,
Wash., was the first U.S. yard to build a
compact Z-drive tug from naval archi-
tect Robert Allan of Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada, in 1989. By 2000, these tugs
were being built all over the world, and
Martinac is now completing its eighth
Allan tug in three years. The last four
were for the U.S. Navy shipyard in
Bremerton, Wash., and are driven by
twin Caterpillar 3512 diesels with a
total of 3599 hp. With the fourth vessel
undergoing sea trails in January, Joe
Martinac was cautiously optimistic,
saying there were, “decent prospects
for another tug order — for the navy or
possibly a commercial operator.”
Seattle, Wash.-based naval archi-
tects Jensen Maritime Consultants
(now a Crowley company) has also
drawn numerous powerful Z-drive
designs built all over the United
States. In 2010, Nichols Brothers
completed a series of five 100 ft.
Jensen-designed Valor-class tugs
fitted with two Caterpillar 3516c
engines rated 3022 hp and Rolls-
Royce Z-drives. However, Jensen’s
most consistent customer is tug oper-
ator Western Towboat in Seattle. This
year it will launch its 16th Jensen tug,
a Caterpillar-powered 118 ft. vessel.
diesels. The third vessel is now in the
yard, with the last two scheduled for
the spring and summer.
“I think we are looking at some
good prospects for the coming year,”
said Matt Nichols. “We have seen
interest in fishing boats growing, and
more tugs are still needed on the
West Coast. Meanwhile, our catama-
ran repower program and third state
ferry superstructure will carry us into
the summer.”
All American Marine of Bellingham
is nearing completion of an 82 ft. high-
speed ultra-low-wake catamaran using
an experimental hydrofoil design with
an aluminum hull and a composite
superstructure to save weight. The
wake is a crucial issue because a
previous catamaran service between
Bremerton and Seattle was halted
by wake-induced shoreline erosion.
Propulsion comes from four Caterpillar
C18 ACERT diesels rated 873 hp
driving Hamilton waterjets — giving a
speed of 34 to 36 knots.
All American, exclusive U.S. builder
of Teknicraft Designs of New Zealand,
has begun work on its biggest project
to date — a 135 ft. catamaran for
C & C Technologies in Louisiana,
to be fully equipped for geophysical survey work in the gulf. This will
be driven by four Caterpillar twin
C32 ACERT engines and twin C18
ACERT engines for a total of 2150 hp
giving a 20 knot top speed.
In 2009, the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid tug was introduced
by Foss Maritime at the Port of Long
Beach, Calif. Now, a second grant
from the California Air Resources
Board will allow Foss to retrofit another 72 ft. Dolphin tug with the Foss/
Aspin Kemp hybrid technology at its
Rainier, Ore., yard, starting in the fall.
The boat will have the same 5000
hp total output, and could save more
than 10,000 gal. of diesel fuel annually, according to the company.
With an impressive record for advanced designs, the Pacific Northwest
will continue to win orders for high-tech
boats, but the current economic climate
demands that the shipyards also look
