Great Lakes Shipyard to Build Guatemalan Harbor Tug

U.S. shipbuilding and repair yard Great Lakes Shipyard informs it has signed a contract to build another of its HandySize Class, 3,400 HP twin-screw tugboat for harbor towing operations in Puerto Quetzal, a commercial cargo, container and cruise port located on the Pacific coast of Guatemala in Central America.

The tugboat’s buyer, Regimen de Pensiones y Jubilaciones del Personal de la Empresa Portuaria, is a Pension Benefits Plan for Port employees and retirees who operate a commercial tugboat service in the port under a Port Authority franchise for the purpose of ensuring future retirement benefits.

The new tug will be built by Great Lakes Shipyard, a division of The Great Lakes Towing Company in Cleveland, Ohio, with delivery planned for next year. The HandySize Class tug was designed by Jensen Naval Architects & Marine Engineers, Seattle, Wash. Specifically designed for harbor work and coastal towing, the new vessel will be 74 feet long with a beam of 30 feet, and a design draft of 11.5 feet. It is to be built to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) standards and its Cummins QSK-50 main diesel propulsion engines, each rated at 1,700 BHPat 1,600 rpm meet US EPA Tier III emission regulations.

The contract signing ceremony and reception was held in the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, and hosted by the Embassy’s Senior Trade Specialist, Antonio Prieto of the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. Prieto was instrumental in facilitating the sale, according to the builder. 

Nicole DeSilvis, the Embassy’s Senior Commercial Officer in her remarks, on behalf of the U.S. Government and U.S. Ambassador Todd Robinson, welcomed the Pension Plan’s officers represented by Eduardo De Jesus Lemus, the Regimen’s Presidente Junta Administradora who signed the contract, and Juan Rodolfo Archila, the Regimen’s Administrador General and the Board of Directors acknowledging their “work ethic” and the “clear and transparent manner” of the negotiations and the contract process. She pledged to continue to collaborate and assist in the Pension Plan’s new endeavors. 

At the ceremony, Carlos Antonio Lainfiesta, Chairman of the Board of Puerto Quetzal was presented with a plaque from the Regimen in recognition of his efforts in support of the Regimen’s acquisition of the new tugboat. 

The Great Lakes Towing Company’s Chairman, Ronald C. Rasmus, and Gregg A. Thauvette, Vice President, Operations and Marketing, represented Great Lakes Shipyard. Rasmus signed the contract on behalf of the shipyard.