Canadian ship designer Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) says that two new tugs to its TRAktor 3100-V design, ‘Mailiao 1505’ and ‘Mailiao 1506’ were recently delivered to the Formosa Plastic Corp, Taiwan, by PaxOcean Engineering of Batam, Indonesia.
The vessels will be operated by the Mailiao Harbour Administration Corp., a subsidiary of Formosa Plastic Corp. The identical sister ships are 31.8m versions of the TRAktor-V series high performance VSP tractor tugs and will replace ageing tugs in the current fleet. Operating in Mailiao Port, Taiwan, the tugs will assist in berthing and un-berthing operations, provide protection/security services in the designated area, and support external fire-fighting operations. These are the first RAL-designed vessels to operate in Taiwan.
The TRAktor 3100-V features a flush main deck with crew accommodation below deck forward of the VSP compartment, and additional cabins for the Master and Chief Engineer on the deckhouse level. Twin Voith VSP 28R5/210-2 units are installed at the bow in tractor configuration, driven by medium speed resiliently mounted Niigata 6L28HX engines rated 1897kW at 750 rpm.
The wheelhouse is configured for stern first operations with the main control console located at the aft end of the house, offering better visibility for the operator over the stern and to essential equipment on the aft main deck. For this reason, the stern features a heavy duty fendering system comprised of a double row of cylindrical fenders and tyres. Fire-fighting monitors are arranged on the aft bridge deck. The wheelhouse is designed with a Voith style control console which can be operated in both the ahead and astern positions.
To fulfil owner’s requirements for manoeuvrability, RAL completed numerous CFD simulations of the tug’s directional stability characteristics during the design phase.
The tugs were designed and constructed to Chinese Register notation CR100, +E Tug, CMS+, Coastal Service, BP [50], Fire Fighting Ship 1. On trials, both vessels exceeded the designed bollard pull of 50 tonnes and achieved a free running speed, ahead of more than 12.0 knots.
