Crescent Towing, a leader in U.S. ship assist and towing services, and Blakeley BoatWorks, a premier Gulf Coast shipyard, are continuing their long-standing partnership with the construction of Hull 115, a new Caterpillar Marine 6,000 HP Tier 4 Z-drive tug. The vessel will join Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River ship assist fleet upon completion, reinforcing its commitment to cutting-edge, environmentally compliant operations
This vessel will be the third in a series of 6,000 HP tugs that Blakeley BoatWorks has constructed for Crescent Towing. The second vessel in the series, M/V Kentucky, will be delivered to Crescent Towing’s Mississippi River operations late this summer.
“Our ongoing new build initiative, in partnership with Blakeley BoatWorks, emphasises our commitment to providing our customers with the most powerful and technologically advanced equipment in the industry” said Scott H. Cooper, President of Crescent Towing. “Following the delivery of Hull 115, we plan to continue this initiative long-term to further strengthen our fleet and best serve our customers.”
“Our team is always working relentlessly to provide the highest quality ship assist towing service in the United States,” said Keith Kettemring, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Crescent Towing. “Adding new 6,000 HP tier 4 z-drive tugs to our fleet provides our team with more incredible tools to continue to offer the safest and most reliable towing services on the Mississippi River.
The new escort towing vessel, to be named at a later date, was designed by Crowley Engineering Services and will be 92’ long and 38’ wide with a draft of 19’. The tug will be powered by twin Caterpillar Marine 3516E tier 4 engines, each producing 3,004HP to power Kongsberg Maritime 255 fixed pitch azimuthing drives (z-drives).
“Blakeley BoatWorks is honored to continue our partnership with Crescent Towing to construct this series of 6,000 HP tugs,” said Swathin Kannalath, Managing Director of Blakeley BoatWorks. “The opportunity to construct some of the most advanced tugs operating on the Mississippi River is very exciting for our entire team.”
