Vane takes delivery of fourth in tugboat series

Baltimore, MD, headquartered Vane Brothers has taken delivery of the Delaware, the fourth of eight vessels in Vane's Elizabeth Anne class of 4,200 horsepower tugboats contracted at St. Johns Ship Building, Palatka, FL. Sister vessel Philadelphia is scheduled for delivery from the shipyard next month, with the remaining three tugboats in the class expected to be delivered i before year's end

"Midway through our contract with St. Johns Ship Building, we are thrilled with the high quality of the four Elizabeth Anne Class tugboats that are now hard-­‐working members of the Vane fleet," says Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes. "The Delaware and her three sister tugs bring heightened performance, crew comfort and safety to the ocean-­‐service towing sector. We look forward to more of the same from the four remaining tugboats being delivered by St. Johns later this year."

Designed by Frank Basile, P.E., of Entech Designs, LLC, the Delaware is a steel-­hulled, model bow tug measuring 100 feet long with a 34-­‐foot beam and 13-­‐foot draft.

She is powered by two Caterpillar 3516 Tier 3 ("A" rated) engines, each generating 2,100 horsepower at 1,600 rpm. Two John Deere PowerTech 4045, 99 kW generators deliver service power to the boat, with a third John Deere 4045 driving the Intercontinental DD200 towing winch.

Along with ample headroom and sound-­deadening material, the Elizabeth Anne Class tugs feature bigger and more robust firefighting systems, an unlimited controls alarm system, and the latest SIMRAD Electronics package, installed by Rhodes Electronics.

Spacious accommodations are available for up to seven crew members.

Primarily engaged in towing petroleum barges in the North Atlantic coastwise trade, the Delaware is one of two dozen vessels that make up the company's Philadelphia-­based Echo Fleet.

The three previous Elizabeth Anne Class tugboats, all of which were delivered in 2016, are among 20 vessels assigned to Vane's Delta Fleet, also working out of Philadelphia.

Vane has approximately 50 tugboats and 80 barges operating out of seven locations along the U.S. East Coast.