Rolls-Royce to Equip ECO’s New Tugs

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) worth more than $41 million to deliver propulsion and deck machinery for 13 new tugs, including five which will have a direct bollard pull of around 150 metric tons.

The 13 tugs are being designed and built at Chouest-affiliated shipyards in the U.S. with support from Damen’s Technical Cooperation program. The five most powerful tugs will be 45 meters long and 17 meters wide, making them the world’s largest of their kind to date.

Rolls-Royce said its scope of delivery includes both large azimuth thrusters and winch packages, enabling the tugs to efficiently perform their main duties; general harbor assistance, braking or steering the vessel, or performing deep sea towing.

Eight of the vessels ordered by ECO will be equipped with two US 255 Fixed Pitch thrusters, while five will have US 60 Controllable Pitch Propellers. 

All 13 vessels will be equipped with towing winches plus auxiliary winches from Rolls-Royce, all based on low-pressure hydraulics. The five largest of the tugs are to be equipped with winches with dynamic towing capability in the full bollard pull range, this is instead of towing on static brake which is most common for these type of vessels. The dynamic towing capability of the low-pressure hydraulic reduces risk during a towing operation, and reduces wear and tear on tow gear.

Mikael Makinen, Rolls-Royce, President – Marine, said, “We are looking forward to once again working with Edison Chouest Offshore on this project to deliver our proven technology to its new fleet of highly capable tugs. This contract underlines our capability to supply mission critical equipment to customers undertaking demanding towing operations, where safety at sea, high power and responsive maneuverability are all essential factors.”