ASD tug development in Argentina

Buenos Aires based shipyard Astilleros Unidelta SA are currently building an ASD shiphandling tug with the potential to attract local interest from a market familiar with European products.

While outside our usual area of European coverage, the news from Argentina will be of interest to the industry in many corners of the tug design and building world, particularly with the vessel’s specification and design adding another familiar choice for potential customers.

The azimuth stern-drive tug is described as the first in an anticipated series and is being built for maritime group SIPSA. The double-chinned hull is designed in-house by Unidelta’s naval architects and features a nearly full length skeg and finely tapered stern to optimise shiphandling capabilities.

The vessel will be powered by twin Cummins QSK60-M diesel engines each delivering 1,958 kW at 1,800 rpm and connected to Rolls-Royce Z-drives with 2,400mm propellers turning in nozzles. It is reported that the combination is designed to deliver a bollard pull figure of 61 tons. Cummins also feature with provision of the auxiliary machinery including a pair of 6B-CP80DM/5 generator sets. The tug will be equipped for fire-fighting duties, powered by a Cummins 6BT5.9-D(M) electrical generator. Delivery of the first vessel is scheduled for mid-2015.

Unidelta Shipyards SA are located in the town of Tigre on the shores of the Rio Lujan to the north west of Buenos Aires. The yard has a covered area of 4,000m2 with 10,000m2 of open space industrial plant and an engineering office of its own in Buenos Aires itself, exclusively dedicated to doing all the planning and technical work. The engineering office began its activities in 1969 with the shipyard itself commencing operations in 1992.

The yard specialises in building steel and aluminium vessels and their products ‘catalogue’ mainly features twin-hull high-speed passenger ferries around 30m length, passenger and vehicle ferries up to 47.5m length, patrol launches, twin-hulled interceptors, port health and pilot craft and catamaran motor yachts.

Their range also includes a 20m, 18 knot Uni Work 20-1200 workboat powered by two 600hp engines and a passenger capacity of 15 persons.