An innovative Canadian designed harbour tug, which is said to offer higher manoeuvrability, stability and bollard pull than conventional designs, is making an Australian debut at the south west coast bulk commodity port of Esperance. The brain child of Canadian based naval architect, Al McIlwain, the 21.7m long, 10.6m beam z-drive (azimuthing) 3,700kW tug gives a bollard pull of 60t at 1,700 rev/min - or 63t at 1,800 rev/min. Z-drive training master Ken Schmidt, president of the Vancouver based Z2000 Training Services Limited, said the tug?s unique oval shaped hull and absence of a centre skeg offer enhanced manoeuvrability to enable it to move both sideways and backwards. Schmidt, who was in Australia to provide driver training, said stability for the vessel was "fantastic". "Down flooding doesn?t start till 45 deg, so I don?t get my deck wet. "In trials I have worked the tug at 10 knots and higher at 90 deg to the ships hull and have sidestepped at 7.8 knots," Schmidt said. Built at Structural Marine on Australia?s most concentrated shipbuilding strip at Henderson, the tug is just one of two in service in the world. The other is operating in Vancouver Harbour for Tiger Tugz. A further vessel is undergoing construction in New Zealand. Structural Marine managing director Barry Saunier said the harbour tug, which sold for around A$5.5 million ($2.83 million), was some A$2 million cheaper per bollard pull than conventional ocean going salvage tugs. "They are not permitted to go beyond the 30 mile limits offshore and while they have the same engines as other tugs they are a lot simpler in that they don?t have the same back up systems for sewerage, desalination and oil treatment," Saunier said. Saunier said he was sourcing inquiries for the vessel from throughout Australia. The tug was in service for McKenzies Tugs at the port of Esperance, which is due to welcome its first Capesize vessel in February 2002.

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