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Types of tugboats
There are two groups of tugboats, either Inland or Oceangoing.
Inland tugboats come in two categories:
Harbor tugs are the most typical of the tugboats that people recognize. They are used worldwide to move ships in and out of berth and to move industrial barges around waterfront business complexes. Their job has remained the same but their design and engineering has changed much over the decades. Harbor tugs have evolved from paddle wheelers, to the conventional tug known by all, and now to the Ship Docking Moduals and tractor tugs in the modern industry.
River tugs are also referred to as towboats or pushboats. They are designed as large squared off vessels with flat bows for connecting with the rectangular stern of the barges. They are large and powerful, most commonly seen on the big rivers of the world. They are capable of pushing huge fleets of barges that are lashed together into "tows". Some tows can be up to 1000 feet long and 200 feet wide. Smaller push boats are often seen handling only a few barges on inland waters. Despite their size, they are designed to push their tow rather than tow from the stern.
Oceangoing tugboats come in four categories:
The conventional tug is the standard seagoing tugboat with a model bow that tows its payload on a hawser. A hawser is the nautical term for a long steel cable or large synthetic fiber rope. It operates independently and is used to tow various loads, e.g., cargo barges, ships, oil rigs, and etc. This is the most versatile method of towing since the conventional tugboat is able to move its load three ways: Pushing from behind, secured to the side of the towed vessel, or by towing astern, all achieved by the use of various lines and cables in various configurations. They are importantly recognized as the design of choice for salvage and assistance of wrecked ships and in the rescue and safe return of disabled ships from the high seas.
The escort tug is used in difficult waters to assist the main ship in case of an emergency. Escort tugs sail at a speed of around 10 knots while the towline is tethered to the assisted ship. They usually have a Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) or an Azimutal Stern Drive (ASD).
The notch tug is a conventional tug which is assigned to tow and push a specific barge, usually built to the shape and specifications of that tugboat. A notch tug has a large towing winch on its stern but it gets its name from the deep notch built into the stern of the barge. This notch is built in the exact shape of the tug's forward hull and can be quite deep, up to 90 feet, sometimes more. The tugboat fits snugly into the notch of the barge and with the use of various lines can be secured firmly enough to push the barge at much higher speeds than it would if it were towing. The towing hawser remains rigged during pushing. In the event that the seas get too rough to push safely, the tug merely releases any securing lines and backs out of the notch while extending its towing hawser. Once in calmer waters, the tug can maneuver back into the notch and resume pushing.
The articulated tug and barge, or ATB, is a specially designed vessel, comprised of a tugboat and a barge which are coupled using specially designed machinery. The tug is connected to the barge inside a notch, similar to the notch boat, using a system of heavy pins, clamps, and/or side pads. ATB's remain coupled all the time; the tug pushes its barge in all but the roughest seas.
The advantages of this system are speed, safety, and cost efficiency. As a unit, the ATB can push much faster than a tug can tow from astern and the use of a coupling system eliminates many of the hazards associated with towing winches and cables. The unit is considered by authorities to be coupled in a "semi-rigid" manner and, thus, regulated by laws governing tugs and barges, rather than ships. This makes the ATB a less expensive vessel to operate. To be considered articulated, the two vessels may roll simultaneously but must pitch independently. There are three popular systems to achieve this, each having a method to lock the tug onto the barge and secure it's side to side movement, while allowing the tug to pitch freely.
Note: While ATB's can be considered integrated, the designation of ITB is not widely used nowadays, due to industry changes in design and practice.
The "Bludworth System" utilizes a large hyrdaulic clamp on the very bow of the tug that fits onto a large steel bar in the deepest end of the barge's notch. The clamp uses massive hydraulic pressure to squeeze two metal discs onto either side of the bar, like a disc brake caliper on a car. The tug is also equipped with two sets of large pads on each side near the stern. One side of these pads is also fitted with hydraulic presses, and extend outward to secure the tug from side to side. The large teflon pads are firmly in contact with each side of the notch, so they are frequently lubricated to reduce friction during underway movement. The clamp grips the bar tightly preventing the tug from floating up and down or fore and aft in the notch. The side pads press out with equal pressure, holding the tug evenly in the notch, securing it from shifting side to side. The tug is allowed to pitch inside the notch as the pads are allowed to slide up and down while the clamps buttons pivot inside the clamp housing like axles.
The "Intercontinental (Intercon) System" uses two pins on the tug that can fit into specially designed grooves built vertically into the walls of the notch on the barge. The grooves are built with a row of zig-zag "teeth" on each edge, forward and rear. Two pins on each side of the tug's bow are equipped with the same shaped teeth on their forward and rear that, when extended into the grooves, will mesh with those on the grooves. The pins then press in tightly using great mechanical pressure. The meshed teeth prevent the tug from floating up and down or fore and aft in the notch, and the pins hold the tug evenly between both sides of the notch, securing it from shifting side to side. The tug is allowed to pitch inside the notch as it pivots on the pins' giant shafts as on axles.
The JAK System is now being used. It is similar in operation to the Intercon System but uses different means of coupling. Instead of a vertical groove with teeth, it uses a vertical row of evenly spaced holes (sockets) along each side of the notch. Aboard the tug, round, solid pins without teeth are mounted in the sides of the bow. The tug pulls into the notch and extends the pins, which fit into the sockets. Great pneumatic pressure is used to press them firmly into place, holding the tug in the notch. The pins cannot move around in the tight fitting sockets and prevent the tug from floating up and down or fore and aft in the notch. The pins hold the tug evenly between both sides of the notch, securing it from shifting side to side. The tug is allowed to pitch inside the notch as it pivots on the pins as on axles.
There may be other ATB coupling systems in use but these three are the most widely used.
The integrated tug and barge, or ITB, is a rigidly connected tug and barge. This means that it fits so tight into the stern of its barge that it will roll and pitch in the same manner with the barge. The systems used to couple the two vessels are varied, but they are similar in that the connection point is virtually seamless and for all practical purpose, they appear to be a ship. These units stay coupled under any sea conditions and the tugs usually have poor designs for sea keeping and navigation without their barges attached. Vessels in this category cannot pitch independently from the barge and so are legally considered to be ships rather than tugboats and barges. As a result of this classification, they are regulated by authorities as ships.
Accidents have occurred in the immediate past, which may even have lead to major oil damages, which accelerated pressure toward improvements in safety in marine oil transports. Some of the accidents lead to oil damage which resulted from an oil tanker that lost either its steerability or propulsive thrust at a critical moment. As a consequence of such oil accidents, the requirements concerning tanker structures have been tightened, inter alia, so that a double bottom structure is required to be built in tankers. In addition, development of tug boats of a novel type has been necessary to provide assistance to and escort tankers in dangerous and coastal waters, i.e., outside of safe harbors. While escort towing, the tug boat is intended to assist at high speed the steering and arresting properties of a vessel to be assisted by means of a tow rope coming from the towing winch and connected to the vessel being assisted. While working in the harbor, the tug boat can be applied to normal towing and buffering tasks.
Totally different standards are set for such, so-called escort tug boats compared with conventional harbor tug boats. First, the escorting speed of an escort tug boat is required to be at least as high as the lowest operating speed of a tanker. The most economical escorting speed is the highest permitted operating speed for tankers in a certain area, or, if no such limitations exist, the highest permitted speed at which the trafficking is safe. In practice, this means that the escorting speed can be even 13 to 14 knots. Accordingly, the tug boat is required at this speed to be able to carry out its escorting tasks as well as merely following the tanker at this speed. Furthermore, the escort tug boat should be able to function in all weather conditions. Such prerequisites mandate that an escort tug boat should be able to function in all conceivable directions and, if needed, it has to be able to change the direction at maximum speed. Furthermore, an escort tug boat like this is required to possess maximum traction power. In view of such requirements, the only useful propulsion apparatus in current escort tug boats is, in fact, a propeller means capable of turning around 360.degree. and possessing a great propulsive thrust.
Primarily two types of tug boats appropriate for escort towing are known in the art, one of them being a so-called tractor tug boat in which the towing winch is positioned on the aft deck and in which the propeller means have been disposed on the front side to the towing winch, closer to the bow of the vessel. The other type is a so-called stern drive tug boat in which the towing winch is placed on the fore deck and in which the propeller means have been arranged in the stern of the vessel. The tractor tug boats and escort stern drive tug boats thus represent the state of art technology. A drawback particularly related to the stern drive tug boats is that although the lateral surface area of the hull thereof is rather large, it is not advantageous as far as its shape is concerned and the point of application of the force is located too far back so that transverse forces are difficult to achieve.
In ordinary tug boats, which are mainly intended for towing only and not for arresting, an arcuate construction provided with a hook is generally arranged on the aft deck of the tug boat to which hook, the tow rope is fastened. This construction has been found to increase the stability of the tug boat. On the forecastle of tug boats intended for arresting, no such constructions have been used.