Crowley Marine Services to Christen Fourth of Six Harbor-Class Tractor Tugs
(Seattle, Wash.; January 19, 1999)—Crowley Marine Services (CMS) will christen the fourth of its new Harbor-Class tractor tugs Wednesday, January 20, in Seattle, Washington. Faye Plummer will perform the time-honored tradition of christening the Leader.
Wednesdays christening ceremony and open house for the Leader will take place at Pier 70 in downtown Seattle. Speakers will include Tom Crowley, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, and Tom Martin, Vice President and General Manager, West Coast and Alaska for CMS. Some 400 people, including customers, vendors, industry associates, and employees are expected to attend the event.
The Leader is the fourth of six 105-ft Harbor-Class tractor tugs designed and constructed for Vessel Management Services, Inc. (VMS), a Crowley Maritime Corporation subsidiary. VMS has entered into a long-term bareboat charter of the Leader to Crowley Marine Services. Each of the six ship assist and escort tugs will feature Voith Schneider twin cycloidal propulsion and a hydrofoil-shaped skeg that provides greatly improved steering, control, and seakeeping ability when the vessel is running at high speeds in the skeg-first direction. In addition, the unique hydrodynamics of the hull result in increased tons of steering and braking force, which are available to assist or control a vessel at higher speeds. The 4,800 horsepower Leader is powered by two Caterpillar 3516-B engines and has an indirect bollard pull in excess of 120 tons at 10 knots. The Leader was built by Nichols Bros. Boat Builders in Freeland, Washington.
Crowley Marine Services, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington, provides specialized marine transportation and logistics services on a worldwide basis, operating one of the worlds largest fleets of marine and related equipment. The companys primary services include tanker escort and ship assist; petroleum transportation and sales; contract barge transportation and ocean towing; logistics and support services; marine salvage and emergency response services provided by CMS and the joint venture Marine Response Alliance; U.S. West Coast spill response services provided by the joint venture Clean Pacific; and all-terrain transportation.