Markey Winches Chosen for Moran Towing’s New Escort Tugs

Seattle-based Markey Machine said it has received an order to supply Markey DEPCF-52 hawser winches and separate CEW-60 capstans for two new escort tugs being built for Moran Towing at Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala.

“As we proudly unveil our newly announced tug builds, we entrust the power and efficiency of Markey winches as our chosen partner,” said Sean Perrault, Moran Towing's VP of engineering services. “Moran Towing and Markey Machine LLC have forged a long-standing relationship built on trust, ensuring optimal performance and safety for our fleet and personnel.”

Years ago, when Moran began planning its future fleet, a higher-performance tug was envisioned. At 92 feet length and with a 40-foot beam, these new Robert Allan Ltd-designed RApport 2800 series tugs will rank among the most powerful of Moran’s 95 tugs. Safety was central to decision-making. Brake-holding capacity for the winches, for example, is 339 tons.

Scott Kreis, VP of sales and engineering at Markey, noted, “The original design of this Class II model hawser was developed specifically for situations where the staple is located close to the winch.  As with other Markey winches, our Render/Recover system provides precision control, eliminating the threat of snap loads by means of very high line-retrieval speeds.”

Line retrieval reaches 378 ft./minute at full drum. Maximum winch line pull is 15.4 tons at 73 ft./min. Also included for the hawser winches are automatic level wind, stainless-steel brake drums, and NextGen controls, which prevent over-speeding spikes on the motors.

Work on the tugs will begin this year, and Markey’s winches will be delivered in 2024.