The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
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Note the fully enclosed prop shafts of this gear. Aft through a small door into the lazarette where the steering gear quadrants and extra hydraulics and pumps for the tow wire control pins and lug are installed. As we moved around and looked at the aesthetics throughout this little ship, she is clearly a solidly built steel vessel designed to take the knocks and rigours of years of hard, tough work. To protect the steel she has been coated throughout, topsides and underwater, using Altex Coatings proven workboat paint systems. The brief for Altex Coatings was to provide a good, reliable system able to stand up to the harsh environment she is working in for long periods. Aft through a watertight door is the main machinery space and engineroom. This is seriously large and it is easy to forget you are only on a 15m tug. This is an engineer's dream space, with everything in its place and room to get round and service all the engines, even in a seaway. It's all here, including the main electrical switchboards, the control and service cabinets and additional fuel and lube oil tanks. On looking at the electrical installation the cabinets are different, but we figure the contents and switch gear will be the same. Designed and fitted by Marine and Industrial Electrics Ltd, clearly the big ship look is present, along with functionality and robust service capability. Moving aft through another watertight door into the tank space, there is a mix of gear along with the specialised tools required to service some Utilising Carboline products, the PT Mary has a superior coating system to last her for many years. Carboline Carbomastic 615 was chosen as the epoxy high-build, as this coating exhibits outstanding moisture and surface tolerance during application, low temperature cure capability and very fast cure response for quick return to service as required to meet the building time schedule. Her underwater surfaces carry a coat of semi-hard Altex Sea Barrier 4000 as a first coat, along with two coats of the ablative Altex Sea Barrier 3000. Both products have IMO approval over the Carbomastic 615 high-build system. As stated earlier this tug is the second of this class with ShipCo having just laid and turned the keel for the next tug of the same design destined for another international client. Yes, two years ago this company's future was uncertain, but its principal directors Pat Ganley and Kelvin Hardie have shown a dogged commitment to the New Zealand black boat (steel) ship building industry refusing to let it die. Now, although the men are not getting any younger, the challenge for the black boat industry and the Whangarei marine precinct, is how best to keep the momentum these two have created, going in very tough times. We were impressed with the PT Mary, and we expect her owners will be proud to add this sister tug to their hard-working fleet of 11 specialised vessels. Finally in closing, the PT Mary performed as expected during our sea trials, and is a good-looking tug that punches well above her weight. Granted, when underway at ten knots no load she is half hidden behind a wall of water, the result of her very bluff bow. But hook a tow load on behind and the bow lifts offering excellent sea-keeping ability at towing speeds of five to seven knots with no bad habits. And when in close into the push pull, the bluff bow comes into its own. Like her sister, PT Mary has been built with the no-nonsense, brutally tough, functional attitude to construction ShipCo has become recognised for. SPECIFICATIONS Professional • Pragmatic • Proven Marine Industrial Design is a team you can trust to deliver a vessel that performs. • Marine Design Consultancy – refit, conversions, class approvals • Naval Architecture – vessel design, stability and seakeeping • Mechanical design – winches, deck equipment www.marinedesign.co.nz | 09 419 8440 VIP.S84 14 Professional Skipper September/October 2012 Length overall (excluding fenders) Beam (moulded) Depth (moulded) Draft aft Engines Power Propellers Service speed (no load) Auxiliary power Winch drum diameter Capacity 15m 6.5m 2.75m 2.8m 2 x Cummins KTA-19-M3 2 x 447kW (640bhp) @ 1800rpm 2 x 4-blade manganese bronze 10.5 knots 1 x Cummins 6B-CP80DM/5 1x Cummins 6C-CP136DM/5 610mm 600m x 32mm diameter wire in 6 layers Fuel 21,000 litres Spare fuel oil Dirty lube oil Clean lube oil Fresh water Sewage Designer Builder 10,040 litres 2590 litres 1300 litres 3040 litres 2660 litres ShipCo ShipCo