Tsuneishi’s Zhoushan yard completes replacement tug for Kambara

In January this year Japan’s Tsuneishi Group completed the Hojin Maru, the first first 4,400-HP class tugboat to be built by its subsidiary, Tsuneishi Group (Zhoushan) Shipbuilding in China. The newbuilding is to be operated by Kambara Tug and Marine Services, mainly at Mizushima port in Japan and in the Seto Inland Sea area

This new tug was built as a replacement for a tug of the same name that Kambara has been operating since 1997. In recent years there has been a growing demand to serve bigger, faster merchant ships and so the new Hojin Maru is about 3m longer, has a larger hull, two four-stroke diesel engines, and is equipped with variable-pitch propellers that include a full-swivel Kort nozzle. Maximum board pull is 63.7 tonnes, and the top speed has been increased to 15.6 knots.

This ship is also equipped with additional equipment such as an oil spill treatment system to prevent ocean pollution and fire extinguishers and a sprinkler system to help fight fires. Accordingly, this new ship can serve not only as a tug but also as a first responder in emergencies such as marine fires and oil spills.

The latest Hojin Maru is bigger and faster than its predecessor of the same name