How much weight can a tugboat pull?
Tugboats are utilized in a variety of marine transportation services that include both small, large, and complicated operations, including emergency needs that arise without warning. These vessels are equipped with not only advanced technology and robust engines, but also experienced crews that are essential for a successful operation in deep water, shallow water, and everything in-between.
These amazing vessels come in many shapes and sizes, and some clients are curious as to how much tugboats can actually pull. The answer involves a few different factors, primarily horsepower and bollard pull, so we thought it’d be a good idea to give you a quick rundown of what these vessels are capable of with any given marine towage project.
Where Bollard Pull Comes In
A tugboat’s horsepower is an important rating to determine what a vessel is capable of in terms of pulling or pushing, but the more meaningful measurement is known as the bollard pull. This refers to the force provided by the tugboat’s propulsion system when the vessel is running full speed ahead but moving at zero speed due to being secured to a stationary ballard.
To put this in real terms, a boat with 5000 horsepower (which is close to the max of Dann Ocean Towing’s largest tugboats) will provide approximately 50-70 tons of static bollard pull.
Tugboats Working in Tandem
Even small tugboats can easily push or pull thousands of tons across a body of water. They accomplish this despite their much smaller size than the vessel they’re moving due to their huge engines and propellers.
When a marine towage project surpasses the weight capability of a single tugboat, these vessels will work in tandem. In fact, several tugboats can work together in especially large towage jobs where hundreds of thousands of tons must be transported. Due to the size and flexibility of Dann Ocean Towing’s fleet, this means that no marine towage operation is out of our scope.
Dann Ocean’s 17-Tugboat Fleet
As of this writing, Dann Ocean Towing has a total of 17 tugboats in our fleet that range from 1,800 to 4,600 horsepower. The vessels within the fleet have a rather wide range of sizes and power, so there’s always an appropriate tugboat available for whatever marine towage operation we’re being hired for. This also means that especially large towage needs can be accomplished by combining the power of two or more vessels. Moreover, each tugboat is routinely serviced by industry professionals which ensures proper operation at all times.
We Assist You With a Wide Variety of Towing Projects
With so many years of experience, Dann Ocean Towing has practically seen it all in the marine towing industry. Our past and current projects include
- Dredging
- Marine construction support
- Salvage and rescue
- Oilfield support
- Anchor handling
- Turnkey project management
- Mega yacht towing
- Bulk cargo handling
- Reef building
- Heavy civil construction
- Marine salvage
- Wind farm projects
- Specialized one-time water borne moves
- And more
These projects involve varying towage power requirements and our fleet has always been up to the task regardless of the size, scope, or specific needs.
Five Generations in the Industry
What began as Paddle Wheel Steamboats way back in the 1860s became Dann Ocean Towing nearly 100 years later in 1960. Since then, we’ve been keeping the business in the family while adapting to new operational techniques and advancements in technology. With five generations of marine towage experience and an extremely well-trained crew, we can successfully handle each marine towage project with professionalism and expertise.
Leading Provider on the East Coast
Given the horsepower and bollard pull range of the tugboats in our fleet, we have a vessel to fit every marine towing operation. The weight that a single tugboat can pull or push is obviously a determining factor in which vessel or vessels we use for any particular project, but that’s only one element.
Our history and expertise has helped us become the leading provider of marine towage on the East Coast. Even so, we always strive to improve and to be the best, which is why we are constantly making improvements to the way we do business and in our operating procedures.
Contact Dann Ocean Towing for Tugboat Services
Dann Ocean Towing has a fleet of tugboats to fit every marine operation service need. If you have any specific questions about how much a tugboat can pull or would like to schedule our services, give our crew a call at (813) 251-5100 today.
