Crowley Receives New Tug Delivery

The Athena, a 77-foot tugboat, has been delivered to Crowley Maritime. Photo courtesy of Crowley.

Crowley Maritime in April said that it has taken delivery of its fourth and latest tugboat, Athena, a 77-foot work vessel that according to the company, offers “the most bollard pull for a tug under 80 feet in the market” and runs on two Caterpillar Marine 3516 Tier IV-compliant engines.

The cleaner engines result in lower greenhouse gas emissions while achieving a power output of nearly 6,800 horsepower and 96 tons of bollard pull, according to Crowley. It is also outfitted with remote monitoring for increased vessel efficiency and data interchange.

Built by Diversified Marine Inc. and chartered from Brusco Tug & Barge, Athena is expected to serve the Pacific Northwest out of Puget Sound.

“We are pleased to have built another record-setting tug for Crowley’s fleet,” said Frank Manning, Diversified Marine’s Vice President of Business Development and Operations. “We appreciate the partnership between Brusco Tug & Barge and Crowley and look forward to continuing to move the needle in tug performance, technology and sustainability.”

The new tug has remote monitoring for more vessel efficiency and data interchange, according to Crowley. The new engines mean less greenhouse gas emissions while reaching a power output of almost 6,800 horsepower and 96 tons of bollard pull.

“We are proud to add another powerful vessel to our Tier IV fleet,” Crowley Shipping Vice President Paul Manzi said. “Joining sister Tier IV tugs Hercules and Apollo as well as our tug Valor, Athena further exemplifies Crowley’s commitment to sustainable performance for customers, advancing our progress to reduced emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.”

Crowley’s ship assist and harbor escort services group took delivery of Apollo in June 2021 and deployed it to serve the San Francisco Bay; Hercules was delivered in March 2020 and serves Pacific Northwest and California ports, performing ship assist and harbor escort work.

The Valor, a 100-foot, Z-drive harbor tug, was first chartered by Crowley in 2007 for use in the Pacific Northwest.