Repowered Tug Tows Nonstop
For its third repower with Smith Maritime, Laborde supplied three Mitsubishi S12R-Y2MPTK Tier II engines rated at 5,000 hp for the tug Rhea. For its maiden voyage, Rhea towed a huge piece of oilfield equipment from Texas to Cape Verde Islands off of Africa before moving on to Nigeria, towing continuously for seven weeks. Rhea is a small, powerful, agile, sea-going tug capable of withstanding the rigors of ship and barge towing or ocean rescue service in all weather conditions. It’s fitted and built for extended service at sea or in distant and remote locations. Smith Maritime’s vessels operate primarily between the U.S., the Caribbean and South America. Its services include ocean and coastal towing, pipe and cable laying, submersible operations, cargo and dredge ops, demolition, harbor, anchor and buoy handling, and salvage and rescue.
(As published in the July 2014 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter)