Trinity Offshore, LLC announces today the August 30, 2011 launching of Hull TO-22, SIGNET CONSTELLATION, a 100’ (30.48m) RAstar 3100 Class Terminal Support/Escort Tug, built for Signet Maritime Corporation’s U.S. Gulf of Mexico operations.
Signet will own and operate the vessel to provide marine services to Angola LNG Supply Services (ALSS) at the Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi. Following the Signet tradition of naming its tugs honoring America’s Cup winners, CONSTELLATION, winner of the 1964 America’s Cup over SOVEREIGN, has been chosen for the first of the two 6,834 hp, 80+ metric ton bollard pull terminal support/escort tugs awarded to Trinity Offshore in 2010. Built entirely under cover at Trinity Offshore’s 60-acre facility in Gulfport, Mississippi—to ensure the highest quality standards and on-time delivery—the tug was designed by Robert Allan, LTD of Vancouver, B.C. The RAstar class tug has been developed specifically to offer superior ship-handling, escort and sea-keeping performance at exposed terminal locations.
The vessel’s advanced technological features will safely assist LNG tankers, oil tankers and cargo vessels at the LNG, oil refinery and other dry cargo terminals in Pascagoula. The RAstar hull form incorporates a significant forward flare on the upper hull sides. When the tug is heeled over due to towline influence during an escort operation, the weather sponson is submerged allowing the generation of a significant “righting” force to maximize stability. The hull also incorporates a large foil-shaped skeg, providing dramatic reductions in roll amplitude and accelerations.
The state-of-the-art RAstar 3100 features accommodations for eight (8) persons with four (4) staterooms, a modern galley with seating accommodations and wheelhouse. The mess includes a full entertainment center and sideboard; the galley is equipped with quality commercial appliances, counter and cupboards all in brushed stainless steel; and, the wheelhouse features a cockpit style control console, pilot chair on sliding track, chart table, log desk and controls, instrumentation and navigation aids.
In addition, the RAstar 3100 will feature EPA Tier 3 compliant Cat® C175 ACERT 16-cylinder main propulsion diesel engines. These engines provide a combination of advanced electronics/monitoring systems, increased engine efficiencies through computer aided design, and modernized common rail fuel injection systems resulting in lower emissions, improved performance and reduced fuel consumption. Measuring 100’ (30.48m) by 40’ (12.19m), this ASD tug is built to American Bureau of Shipping Maltese Cross A1 Towing & Escort Service, Fire Fighting Class 1 (Fi-Fi 1) and Maltese Cross AMS standards. The vessel will be operated under Signet Maritime’s ABS-certified International Safety Management (ISM) and ISO 9001-2008 Quality Management Systems.
