A new Vane Brothers tug recently launched at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, will feature some innovative towing winch and deck equipment from JonRie Intertech LLC, Manahawkin, NJ.

The Tangier Island, the eighth in a series of ten Sassafras Class ocean tugs for Vane Brothers, has a complete set of JonRie Deck Equipment, including a Series 500 Towing Winch with an independent drive level wind. The winch has a line pull of 45 tons and a spool capacity of 650M of 45mm cable.

The winch is completely controlled from the Tow Coop on the boat deck and features pilot house alarms. The drive in the engine room is powered by a 125 kW diesel engine and features a 25 kW backup system. All controls were designed and supplied by JonRie.

On the after deck, the 28m (94 ft) x 9.7m (32 ft) x 3.9m (13 ft) tug also has a JonRie Series 421 Hydraulic Capstan.

Back in May, Chesapeake Shipbuilding announced it had signed a contract with Vane Brothers for the ninth and tenth tugs in the Sassafras Class series.

Propulsion is supplied by two Caterpillar 3512 main engines that produce 2,235 kW (3,000 hp) through 6:1 reverse reduction gears to conventional shafts. The Tangiers Island has accommodations for seven crew members.

Once delivered, the Tangier Island will push 30,000 bbl tank barges on near coastal routes. Construction is already underway on the remaining two tugs, each of which will be delivered over 18 months.

Vane Brothers, Baltimore, MD, has been serving the Port of Baltimore and the U.S. Eastern Seaboard for over 100 years. The company operates a fleet of 33 tugs, 4 barges and two 140,000 bbl Articulated Tug Barges (ATBs).