By Mike Phillips, P.Eng., Robert Allan Ltd.
A Grizzly escorts a tanker from the newly upgraded Westridge Terminal, guiding it safely through the Narrows as it leaves Canada’s busiest port. To starboard, there’s another bear often spotted at Pier 94, this one a Kermode. But North Vancouver isn’t this spirit bear’s home; soon it will emerge from its south coast hibernation to make a permanent move north to Kitimat and the Douglas Channel, where like its grizzly bear relative, it too will escort vessels out to sea from a new marine export terminal.
Tasked with escorting LNG carriers up to Q-Max size through the channel on world’s longest known escort route – approximately 159 nautical miles – HaiSea Kermode is certainly up to the task with capabilities that few other escort tugs anywhere can come close to matching. Able to generate escort steering forces exceeding 175 tonnes, it roughly doubles the performance of any other tug in British Columbia. Along with its sister, HaiSea Warrior, it is set to command the north where the pair will ensure safe passage of the world’s largest LNG carriers.
HaiSea Kermode distinguishes itself from other high-performance escort tugs through its unparalleled capabilities. A customized ultra-high performance, three-gear, 450 hp electric AGILE escort winch from Markey Machinery optimizes its escort potential, maintaining near-constant line tensions even when generating its maximum escort forces in significant sea states.
Airborne emissions are greatly reduced beyond even IMO Tier III standards when performing escort missions, thanks to LNG from its enhanced capacity tank, specifically sized for its record-duration escort missions. The inclusion of a selective catalyst reduction (SCR) exhaust after-treatment system – a rarity on LNG-fuelled tugs – further reduces emissions across the entire operational profile.
HaiSea Kermode and its battery electric counterparts are also the first tugs in the world to receive the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)’s ENVIRO+ notation, representing the highest level of environmental credential from ABS.
This cutting-edge tug provides its crews with enviable modern comforts, underscored by its ABS-class habitability notation (HAB). Each crew member benefits from the privacy of a single cabin with ensuite washroom, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce that is vital to the industry’s growth and sustainability. The presence of a spacious lounge and a gymnasium further enriches life on board. Subtler benefits significantly improve the working environment as well, such as reduced noise from electrically powered winches instead of hydraulic ones, and a dynamic positioning system that eases operator fatigue during waits near Triple Island for an LNG carrier.
Designed primarily for escort towing in Douglas Channel, HaiSea Kermode’s high-bollard pull of 105 tonnes also enables it to lend a paw should it be needed to assist with ship-berthing operations, or for performing a rescue tow of a distressed vessel. Its emergency response capabilities are augmented by significant oil recovery tankage and a Firefighting 1 class off-ship firefighting system, with the capacity to fill an Olympic swimming pool in just one hour.
These features are aptly suited for a vessel named by the Gitga’at Nation to represent the Spirit Bear and our shared sacred environment, and they embody a commitment to protecting the natural world.
With HaiSea Kermode securing its status as one of the world’s premier escort tugs, and with both HaiSea Marine and SAAM Towage Canada recently incorporating the world’s finest battery electric harbour tugs into their fleets, British Columbia’s marine towage industry has positioned itself as the global leader in the innovation and adoption of advanced tug technologies.
What will be the next remarkable B.C. Tugboat to captivate the international marine towage industry’s attention? News has it that steel has recently been cut on the world’s first newbuild dual-fuel methanol-diesel tugs, and they are also set to call southern British Columbia home. This suggests that the global industry might have to bear being envious of B.C.’s new vessels for the foreseeable future.
