Shallow draft tug “Ak Bars”
For well over a decade the names Holyhead Towing Company Ltd and Hepworth Shipyard Ltd have become virtually synonymous.
The two companies have collaborated closely to produce a succession of custom designed multipurpose tugs at the Humberside shipyard at Pauli.
All have been built to fulfil a particular role in Holyhead Towing’s continually expanding fleet of vessels required to serve the company’s core business; supporting dredging, coastal improvement, windfarm construction, cable-laying, and a host of other marine civil engineering projects. The resulting six vessels have varied in size from 22,5 to 35 metres in length and the design process has been a joint effort between the
shipyard and Holyhead’s own technical and operations staff. The seventh tug named AK Bars, has been designed entirely ‘in house’ by the Welsh towage company and is a new 25 metres shallow draft twin screw ice class vessel capable of fulfilling a wide range of services in the oilfields of the Caspian Sea.
A true 'maid of all work’, the AK Bars is designed and equipped for towing, pushing, anchor handling, cargo and personnel transportation, and the delivery of fuel and water in and around the shallow waters of the oilfields.
The tug will be operated by Holyhead Towing’s joint venture company Caspinsky Buksir based in Kazakhstan, and registered in Cyprus. AK Bars is designed and constructed to comply with the requirements of Lloyds Register of Shipping + 100A1 Tug, Ice Class IB, +LMC, Unrestricted service. The single chine hull has an overall length of 25,00 metres, a moulded breadth of 9,50 metres, a depth of 3,25 metres and a working draft of 2,00 to 2,50 metres. The hull was fabricated by Aveco in Middlesbrough and towed down to Pauli for completion. In order to meet the shallow draft requirement and maintain maximum buoyancy for anchor handling and load carrying, the propellers and fixed nozzles of the twin screw propulsion system are located in tunnels beneath the stern. The broad flare of the chine in the bow incorporates a transverse bow thruster and a substantial single ‘push knee’ is built into the stem. The tendering includes steel rubbing strakes of half-round section around the bow and on each forward shoulder, overlaid with vehicle tyres. A square section rubber moulding encircles the sides and aft quarters, at deck level. The open stern incorporates a substantial stern roller and the bulwarks have openings, just aft of amidships, to allow hoses etc to be taken across the deck. An important feature of this new design is the large clear after deck, intended to afford an ample work space and a useful cargo capacity. The deck has the usual hardwood overlay for protection and has the appropriate fastenings for the carriage of standard ISO containers. Integral tanks are provided for 100 cu/m of fuel, 45 cu/m of fresh water, 9 cu/m of sewage and the outfit is installed to the appropriate GMDSS level for the operational area and includes the normal VHF radios, MF/HF single side band radio, Imarsat C, Navtex and an Iridium satellite telephone with Email. The electronics were supplied and fitted by Boat Electrics and Electronics Ltd.
The AK Bars is due for completion and handover in mid-June, after which it will sail for the Caspian Sea. It will operate in the Kashagan oil field around 'D Island', providing a whole range of transportation, towing, anchor handling and other supporting services.
Also operating under Caspinsky Buksir is the multi-purpose work vessel AK Tue, the shallow draft tug AK Sunkar, and the 35 metres tug AK Burkut, delivered by Hepworth last year. Hepworth Shipyard is currently building a sister ship to the AK Bars. This further vessel will be built and fitted out entirely at Pauli on Humberside and will become part of the Holyhead Towing UK fleet. In most respects it will be identical but the Cummins KT 38 main engines will be upgraded to 1.300 bhp, increasing the bollard pull to approximately 27-28 tons.
Lekko International nr. 178 July/August 2009
