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TUGBOAT2015
bctugboat.com
Major makeover in store for ferry
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2015
Contents
B.C. Tugboat 3
DELCommunications Inc.
Published byDEL COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Suite 300, 6 Roslyn RoadWinnipeg, ManitobaCanada R3L 0G5
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President:David Langstaff
Publisher:Jason Stefanik
Managing Editor:Cindy Chan
Contributing Writers:Robert Allan
David Bradford Terry Engler
Melanie Franner Shane L. Hall
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PRINTED IN CANADA05/2015
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF BC FERRIES
Editor’s message ............................................................................4
Ferry gets renewed lease on life with $7.7 million upgrade.........5
The SS Master: Icon of the West Coast towboat industry ............8
The importance of a good crew ..................................................10
Can tugboats protect the B.C. coastline? ................................... 12
Tug life .......................................................................................... 18
Index to Advertisers .................................................................... 19
4 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
Editor’s MEssagECindyChan
We don’t see many tugboats in my neck of the woods, the Canadian prairies. However, it’s been a real eye-opener to learn about such an important mode of transportation to the people of British Columbia.
In this issue, you will find a variety of stories, ranging from an update on the Queen of Oak Bay renovation to an arti-cle that begs the question, “Can tugboats
protect the B.C. coastline?” A man even questions the future of tugboats on the West Coast. There is no shortage of dif-fering opinions.
One thing is for sure: people are passion-ate about tugboats in B.C., and we hope to radiate the same passion in these pages.
Cindy Chan R
Catherwood Towing Ltd.
101-32885 Mission Way, Mission, BC V2V 6E4
PHONE604.826.9221 | 604.462.9221 | 604.533.9221
FAX604.826.9223
“WORKING THE FRASER RIVER AND B.C. COASTFOR OVER 40 YEARS!”
B.C. Tugboat 5
Built for British Columbia Ferry Services
Inc. (BC Ferries) in 1981, the Queen of
Oak Bay has long been a trusted and
reliable component of the company’s
35-vessel fleet. Capable of carrying 360
vehicles and 1,488 passengers and crew
on each of its four round trips a day – 365
days a year – the ferry is a vital trans-
portation tool for individuals travelling
the popular route between Horseshoe
Bay in Vancouver and Departure Bay in
Nanaimo.
“The ferry service has been an intricate
part of the West Vancouver commu-
nity for decades,” states District of West
Vancouver mayor Michael Smith. “The
service to Bowen Island, Langdale and
Nanaimo is well-used and appreciated by
millions of passengers annually. We are
pleased to see the upgrade to the Queen
of Oak Bay, one of the regular ferries on
the route to and from Departure Bay.”
Upgrades for an old friend
In November 2014, the Queen of Oak Bay
entered into the first phase of its three-
quarter life upgrade project – an impor-
tant milestone in the vessel’s history.
By Melanie Franner
Ferry gets renewed lease on life with $7.7 million upgrade
PHO
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eSThe Queen of Oak Bay is slated to enter its second phase of upgrades from November 2015 to February 2016.
6 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
“BC Ferries usually plans on a 40-year
lifespan for its vessels,” explains Mark
Wilson, vice-president of engineering at
BC Ferries. “We conduct planned refits
for these vessels at the 10- and 30-year
mark, which is the quarter and three-
quarter life points. We do the more sig-
nificant service overhaul at the mid-life
point, which is usually around 20 years.”
According to Wilson, the first phase of
the three-quarter life upgrade project
conducted on the Queen of Oak Bay was
focused primarily on areas of the ship lo-
cated “below the water line”. This work
included the following safety and me-
chanical improvements: crucial systems
renewals (piping and equipment); propul-
sion overhauls and renewals; electrical
distribution upgrades; elevator upgrades;
installation of local application water mist
on main engine-room machinery; en-
ergy efficiency upgrades, including LeD
lighting in machinery compartments and
HVAC upgrades; large-scale steel renew-al; and regulatory surveys.
“This extensive upgrade is an important investment in one of our major vessels, which will ensure we maintain a safe, reliable and efficient service, and in the process, stay focused on fare affordability for the benefit of our customers,” states Wilson.
The Queen of Oak Bay will undergo the second phase of its three-quarter-life up-grade from November 2015 to February 2016. This second phase will focus pri-marily “above the water line” and will include customer accommodations and disembarking areas and bridge improve-ments, among other things.
“We opted to do the three-quarter life up-grade in two phases to better accommo-date the needs of our customers,” says Wilson, adding that the company typically puts most of its 35 vessels on a dock-ing program once in every four years
The Queen of Oak Bay with city skyline.
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TO B
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eS
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or twice in every five years. This makes it tough to take a vessel out of rotation for any significant length of time without compromising existing sailing schedules.
The Queen of Oak Bay is the first of BC Ferries’ C-class vessels to undergo a three-quarter life upgrade. The Queen of Surrey will follow with the first phase of its three-quarter-life upgrade in February 2016.
A ship out of waterVancouver Drydock Company Ltd. was awarded the contract on the upgrade project of the Queen of Oak Bay. The company, which is part of Seaspan, un-dertook the work at its North Vancouver facility.
“We completed the upgrades within the two months allotted,” states Vancouver Drydock vice-president and general manager Paul Hebson, adding that the low Canadian dollar has made for busy times at the company, with an influx of American customers. “BC Ferries is one of our oldest customers and probably the largest vessel operator on the coast. We made sure to complete the work within their set schedule.”
According to Hebson, this three-quarter life upgrade project included typical im-provements to the vessel.
“Items that were atypical were the energy efficiency upgrades and the water mist system,” he states. “The water mist sys-tem is a new capability for the vessel. The steel renewal was a typical upgrade but the sheer amount of steel involved made it a bit more unusual.”
That being said, Hebson states that it was good to see the Queen of Oak Bay head back out for renewed duty with the en-hanced capabilities necessary for many more years of service. R
PublicationB.C. Tugboat
IssueApril
SizeIsland (half page vertical)
DeadlineApril 30, 2015
FeaturesŸ Supporting “Protecting
the BC Coastline” Editorial
Authorization
Jim:________________
Rob:________________
Leading by Design
RAsalvor SeriesOffshore Rescue/Salvage Tugs
“This extensive upgrade is an important investment in one of our major vessels, which
will ensure we maintain a safe, reliable and efficient service, and in the process, stay focused on fare affordability for the benefit of our customers”
Mark Wilson, vice-president of engineering at Bc ferries
8 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
In seven years, the steam tug Master will
be 100 years old.
Built in Vancouver’s False Creek in 1922
by renowned designer and builder Arthur
Moscrop, she is a classic example of the
log-towing tugs that worked the West
Coast for generations. The Master is the
oldest surviving wooden steam tug with
original equipment in North America. She
typifies the resourcefulness of designers,
builders, owners and crew that support-
ed and grew the maritime commerce of
coastal British Columbia.
Like other significant heritage vessels
around the world, the Master represents
something much larger than her own
particular history. From the early days of
towing sailing ships to port to supporting
the forestry, fishing and construction in-
dustries, tugboats have played a critical
role in moving products of all types along the coast. In many places in the world, heritage vessels have come to represent something meaningful, a recognition and celebration of local maritime history, and they have, often with great effort, been preserved. They each have a particular claim in history either from significant events, as a representative of a particular vessel type or as evidence of the evolu-tion of design and use.
By David Bradford
the ss Master: icon of the West Coast towboat industry
PHO
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BrA
DFO
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The SS Master Society is currently raising funds to make repairs to the Master (pictured) in time for her 100th year in 2022.
B.C. Tugboat 9
The Master, proud to have her place in this evolution, was built during the golden age of West Coast tugs for Capt. Herman Thorsen who operated it under the Master Towing Company. The Master worked for 37 years for several compa-nies towing logs, coal and gravel barges, fuel and limestone. She has the highest evolution of reciprocating maritime steam technology from more than 200 years of development, including the addition of steam-powered steering and towing winch and generator. The engine, built in 1916 by William Beardmore’s Speedwell Iron Works Co. in Coatbridge, Scotland, is still running well today, and turns an eight-and-a-half-inch propeller at about 100 r.p.m. To stand beside the work-ing engine underway is an experience indeed.
For 52 years since retirement, the Master has found her place in public life oper-ated under the SS Master Society. every year, thousands of visitors marvel at her stout B.C. fir workboat construction, her triple expansion steam engine and scotch boiler and her spartan accommodation for a crew of eight.
The B.C. West Coast is one of the most
significant coastal towing areas in the world, and is one of the very few where the only source of transportation for natural resources and goods was by tug and barge. Many enterprising individuals and companies sought and created inno-vations and solutions for this constantly changing industry. That challenge con-tinues today with more powerful, maneu-verable and capable tugs taking on ever larger tasks.
Through the efforts of the SS Master Society, this proud history of coastal tow-ing has recently been recognized by the Canadian federal government. Tugboating along the West Coast has been desig-nated as an event of National Historic Significance, and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada will provide a bronze plaque commemorating this unique part of B.C. coastal history and specifically referencing the Master.
Today, the Master is being recognized and supported by the towboat industry she so well represents. The SS Master Centenary Project is committed to rais-ing the funds necessary to complete some major repairs in time for her cen-tenary year in 2022. This project has
been unanimously endorsed by the mem-ber companies of the Council of Marine Carriers, the organization representing all the major marine towing companies in B.C. To date, significant support has been received from many prominent com-panies in the industry including robert Allan Ltd., Seaspan Shipyards, Island Tug and Barge, Ledcor resources and Transportation, SAAM-SMIT Canada Inc. and many other companies that also have deep roots in B.C.
The Master is also the flagship for the annual Vancouver Tugboat Festival on Granville Island, which was created in 2014 by the SS Master Society, celebrat-ing the towboats of B.C. and their contri-bution to the economic foundations of this province. The public is given a rare op-portunity to board the tugs and talk with the crews.
All who recognize the important contribu-tion of the towing industry to the growth and development of the coastal economy of B.C. are encouraged to lend their sup-port to this important project of saving and restoring the Master. Donations can be made online at the SS Master Society website (ssmaster.org). R
PHO
TO B
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BrA
DFO
rD.
10 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
There’s nothing easy about running a tugboat in British Columbia’s often dan-gerous waters – and that’s why the skill of the crew is so important.
British Columbia tugboat crews bring great experience and record of safety to the critical job of assisting shipping of natural resources and other products. Tugboats are a big part of B.C.’s econ-omy, ensuring that the largest freight-ers can safely navigate in and out of the
province’s ports with their precious car-
goes of various items.
And it’s tugboats that guide imports
aboard ships from countries around the
globe into B.C. harbours – from cars we
drive that were manufactured in Japan
and Korea to the wines of the world we
drink to the televisions we watch and so
much more.
These cargoes are not only extremely
important to the province’s prosperity – all are worth enormous amounts of mon-ey and some would cause great devasta-tion if the ship ran aground on our fragile and ecologically sensitive shoreline.
So the crew members of a tugboat not only have a tough job to do navigating through tricky tides in rain and snow, day and night – but their work is also abso-lutely essential to the province’s economy and its environment.
By Terry Engler
the importance of
A Good Crew
Tugboat Pacific Force from Seaspan hauling barge.
PHO
TO B
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SON
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OD
S.
B.C. Tugboat 11
That’s why the 300 men and women who are members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 400 are proud of the training and experience they bring to every job and the record of safety at sea that assures ship owners and shippers they are in the best possible hands.
ILWU Local 400 represents about 80 per cent of all unlicensed crew members on B.C. tugboats and has done so since 1958.
The union emphasizes safety above all, because so much depends on it for not just the lives of the crews on both tug-boats and freighter but the protection of B.C.’s beautiful coastline and shores.
Tugboat crews also understand the vital role they play in B.C.’s economy.
That’s one reason why they often work 12-hour shifts, sometimes for seven days straight, in difficult conditions away from family and friends – because bringing goods to and from port efficiently and on time requires it.
These sailors know that B.C. needs the sustained economic growth from exports to allow good wages to be paid and public services provided.
And ILWU Local 400 ensures that our employers have the best possible tugboat crews of experienced men and women, crews who get ships’ valuable cargoes in and out of port safely at all times of day and in all weather conditions. R
“Ride along with these brawny boats as they catch the swells and waves of the wild West Coast, navigate deadly tidal rapids and squeeze through a winding
maze of boats and bridges as they ply the mighty Fraser River.”
~ skookuM tugs: British coluMBia’s Working tugBoats By peter a. roBson
Tugboat crews don’t get to enjoy the beautiful Vancouver area scenery even on a sunny day.
Seaspan tugboats and barges on the Fraser River.
PHO
TO B
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SON
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S.PH
OTO
By
JASO
N W
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DS.
12 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
The ports, communities and people of
coastal British Columbia rely almost exclu-
sively on ship-borne traffic for their liveli-
hoods and as the means by which they
obtain the majority of their daily needs
for food, housing and transportation. To
totally ban all shipping in B.C. waters
might eliminate the risk of pollution to the
coastline but would, in effect, kill the pro-
vincial economy.
Virtually every ship sailing these waters
carries oil in one form or another as fuel,
and in almost every case a single steel
membrane (the ship's shell) separates
that fuel from the surrounding ocean. In
spite of that fact, the number of oil spills
is thankfully almost negligible. All tankers
in service after 2010 carry their entire
By Robert Allan
Can tugboats protect the B.C. coastline?
A nav-aids vessel with towing gear and large buoy-handling crane. PHOTO By rOBerT ALLAN LTD.
B.C. Tugboat 13
cargo capacity within double-hulled, pro-
tective structures.
The recent incident with the russian
container ship, Simushir1, gave many an
opportunity to voice their concerns about
the sanctity of the B.C. coastline. It is use-
ful to understand some basic facts about
shipping and the potential for shipping in-
cidents on the B.C. coast, and what type
of tugboat capability would actually be
required to provide a reasonable degree
of response capability and at what cost.
In the days of sailing, the West Coast
of Vancouver Island was known as the
"graveyard of the Pacific", a vast, rocky lee
shore upon which foundered many sailing
ships in the 19th century. However, with
the advent of steam and diesel propul-
sion, ships were no longer entirely at the
mercy of the weather. The safety record
of shipping on the B.C. coast has subse-
quently been excellent for generations
A RASalvor Class rescue tug.
PHO
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y rO
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14 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
– not completely incident-free, but, none-
theless, still excellent. The statistics of the
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
(TSB) are difficult to interpret with re-
gard to reported large vessel groundings.
Initial attempts to obtain specific data
from the TSB on west coast groundings
of large vessels were unsuccessful (fur-
ther data is currently pending). However,
from TSB-published information, one can
deduce that in the entire western region,
there have been potentially one to two
vessel groundings per year for the past 16
years. The majority of these will be ves-
sels touching bottom at their berths (gen-
erally a non-critical incident), but without
examining every incident in detail, it is
impossible to determine. Anecdotally, one
would be hard-pressed to recall more
than two to three serious groundings on
the outer west coast in the past 40 years.
In the summary to his report to the Living
Oceans Society [1], Stafford reid states:
"The 1988 Nestucca oil barge rupture
off of the West coast of Vancouver Island,
followed soon after by the 1989 Exxon
Valdez oil tanker grounding in Alaska
galvanized public attention on oil spill pre-
vention, preparedness and response along
the Pacific West coast. The public and
government focus after these events was
on the oil spill consequence of the vessel
casualties, not the casualty itself. More re-
cent vessel casualties have drawn atten-
tion to other environmental consequences,
notably the grounding of two freighters:
the New Carissa in Oregon (1999) and the
Selendang Ayu (2004) in Alaska. These
incidents raised awareness in the United
States to the need to address all aspects
of a major vessel casualty, and not just
the oil spill impact or threat. This includes
measures to salvage the vessel, to off load
its cargo and fuels, and to remove wreck-
age so as to prevent or minimize environ-
mental damage.
Along Canada's Pacific coast there have
only been a few near-misses. Therefore,
vessel casualty risk and their impact man-
agement have not garnered the same lev-
el of public and government attention as in
the United States. It has been recent vessel
and barge accidents in British Columbia
that have caught public attention to both
oil spill risk and the problem of address-
ing sunken ship wrecks; notably the 2006
sinking of the Queen of the North ferry
in Wright Sound, and the 2007 LeRoy
Trucking barge equipment dumping into
Johnstone Strait."
There are virtually zero groundings or
strandings of larger ships on the west
coast of Canada upon which one might
develop a statistical model. However,
if one looks at the entire west coast of
Canada and the U.S. as the regional base
for data, then one can cite approximately
12 incidents in the past 40 years (see ref.
[1]) that were or had the potential for a
serious grounding incident.
This number of real or potential seri-
ous incidents has to be compared to the
actual number of large vessels plying
these waters. The Chamber of Shipping
of British Columbia reports that there
are about 3,800 ship calls per year at
B.C. ports; parallel to this is shipping to
major U.S. west coast ports which may
transit B.C. waters. reid [1] cites the
West Coast Offshore Vessel Traffic risk
Management Project (WCOVTrM) report
[2] as follows:
"The study estimated over 19,000 ves-
sel transits from Alaska to California dur-
ing the year. The majority of vessels are
large commercial vessels such as contain-
er ships and bulk carriers...after deducting
unknown "last port of call" vessels, 12,646
vessel arrivals in Pacific West coast ports
were considered coastwise transits."
Therefore, one can safely and conser-vatively assume 12,500 ship calls on the west coast of North America which may transit B.C. waters. each of those ship calls likely has both an inbound and an outbound "move", so a number of 25,000 ship moves per year in these regional wa-ters seems a reasonable estimate of total traffic volume (approximately 70 moves per day over the entire coastline). Note that this number deliberately does not include smaller vessel movements such as fishing vessels, tugs and barges and ferries.
The probability of a serious "potential" incident is therefore about 1 in 100,000 (0.001 per cent). Note this only refers to an incident which may occur, and which then might lead to a potential grounding or similar.
The B.C. coastline measures just under 1,000 kilometres long north to south, but when all the inlets and islands are con-sidered, it presents 25,725 kilometres of coastline.
The absence of a dedicated rescue tug anywhere on the B.C. coast has been cited as a major issue, but how does one realistically develop a rescue tug system to protect such a vast and intricate coast-line? What is a suitable response time? Should tugs be able to respond in the ab-solute worst case conditions? What is the real probability of an incident? Who will pay for the rescue service? Where will a tug be when an incident occurs? How many tugs would be enough to provide sufficient response capacity to the whole coast?
Many of the above questions were asked when the Tanker exclusion Zone (TeZ) was prescribed to protect the B.C. coast from the regular transits of American oil tankers from Alaska to the refineries in Puget Sound:
B.C. Tugboat 15
"The purpose of the TEZ is to keep laden
tankers west of the zone boundary in an
effort to protect the shoreline and coastal
waters from a potential risk of pollution.
The zone boundary follows the Canada/
Alaska border to a point approximately
115 miles west of Langara Island, thence
southward to approximately 73 miles
southwest of Cape St. James, thence to 40
miles southwest of Amphitrite Point and
thence due east to just off Cape Flattery.
[CCG website: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/
e0003909)]
A similar "shipping exclusion zone"
strategy could be employed for all ship-
ping, which presently only has to be 12
miles offshore to be considered outside
Canadian waters. The farther offshore a
ship is, the more response time a res-
cue vessel has. This is by far the sim-
plest method by which to improve coastal
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safety, and is not a new idea, having been
recommended by both Brander-Smith
[3] and Anderson [4] in their reports
concerning oil-spill preparedness on the
B.C. coast. Typical large ships will drift
at about three to four n. miles (nautical
miles) per hour in the more severe wind
and tidal conditions on this coast. If a re-
sponse time of no more than 24 hours
is required to any location on the outer
coast, then traffic must be kept effectively
100 miles offshore (the present TeZ var-
ies from more than 100 miles wide in the
north to about 40 miles wide at the en-
trance to Juan de Fuca Strait). Then one
must consider where any response ves-
sels should be based. At a probable aver-
age response speed of no more than 12
knots in severe weather, a rescue tug can
cover only 288 n. miles in a day, and 250
miles is needed to allow for mobilization
time and uncertainties. That 1,000 miles
“The B.C. coastline measures just under 1,000 kilometres long north to south, but when all the inlets and islands are considered, it presents 25,725 kilometres of coastline.”
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16 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
(by 100 miles wide) of outer coastline
could then be covered by four relatively
fast and capable ocean rescue tugs. Let’s
say there would be one each at Victoria
and Prince rupert at the far (and busier)
ends of the coast, one at Bamfield and
one somewhere near the north end of
Vancouver Island. These would have to
be large, powerful and seaworthy tugs to
cope with the North Pacific winter con-
ditions and to be able to tow the largest
ships anticipated in these waters. They
would be no less than 45 to 50 metres
in length, with a towing capability of no
less than 120 tonnes, corresponding
to an installed power of about 10,000
horsepower.
The many thousands of kilometres of "in-
ner coast" must be considered as much
safer, as they are largely protected from
the ocean forces. There are many inshore
areas exposed to severe winds but there
are also many places of refuge and more
local traffic, especially a range of barge-
towing smaller tugs which could be called
upon for support, even if only marginally
adequate. The inside passages are also
not widely used by large ships other than
cruise ships and ferries.
Large tugs of the type described above
are not uncommon, but the days of hav-
ing salvage or rescue tugs stationed
around the world's busiest shipping lanes
hoping to rescue a disabled ship (and get
paid well for doing so) are largely gone.
Modern ships are safer and more reliable
than their forebears. Communications
and tracking devices are far more accu-
rate. Protocols for monitoring and con-
trolling vessel traffic in near-coastal situ-
ations are well-established.
So it is practical to consider a rescue tug
system on the B.C. coast, but only in con-
junction with a system of traffic control
and limiting offshore distances to ensure
appropriate and sensible times for re-
sponse. But who pays, and what do the
crews do to combat the boredom of being
"on call" 99.99 per cent of the time with
nothing else to do?
Tugs that do nothing but wait for an emer-
gency are not viable. Coastal safety is a
federal responsibility administered by the
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). Their ships
are typically configured for multi-tasking,
with the primary role of maintaining aids
to navigation, and secondarily support-
ing Search and rescue and fisheries pa-
trols operations. Most of their ships are
primarily buoy tenders and have modest
towing capabilities but nothing suitable
for towing large ships at sea. The most
practical solution would be to reconfigure
the west coast Guard fleet to comprise
primarily rescue towing vessels which
are equipped with suitable gear for the
other nav-aids and Search and rescue
missions.
The rescue towing concept as described
addresses the risks from current levels of
general shipping on the West Coast, and
would certainly provide an increased level
of security for any foreseeable growth in
west coast shipping, regardless of what-
ever deep-sea vessel type one consid-
ers. All of the various oil transportation
and LNG tanker projects proposed for
the B.C. coast to date have been or are
presently examining, in depth, the specif-
ic tugboat capabilities required to safely
escort and berth the tankers involved in
each specific project. Until such time as
some of these projects materialize, it is
difficult to say what synergies might ex-
ist among those projects to share tug
resources. However, energy distribution
company enbridge Inc., in particular,
has certainly identified the most capable
class of escort/rescue tug available in the
world today as the type of tugs required
for, and which would be dedicated to
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B.C. Tugboat 17
the Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
These tugs would have as a primary re-
sponsibility ensuring the safe passage of
tankers using the enbridge facilities, and
only after any such tankers were safely
anchored out of harm's way could these
tugs potentially respond to a general
ship-in-distress emergency on the outer
coast. A non-private, coast guard tug ca-
pability seems the only logical answer for
broad-based coverage.
In conclusion, it is certainly feasible to
consider a system of large rescue tugs to
aid in the protection of the B.C. coastline,
but the economics of that operation are
not trivial and the probability of an inci-
dent is very low. The existing CCG fleet
mix has been demonstrated as capable
in moderate conditions with a small ship,
but is not sufficient to deal with a large
ship towing emergency in more severe
conditions.
Therefore, such a rescue tug capability
should most sensibly be considered as
an integral and primary part of an over-
all revised coast guard plan for all their
required vessel operations on the B.C.
coast.
REFERENCES
[1] Stafford reid, enviroemerg
Consulting, “Major Marine Vessel
Casualty Risk and Response
Preparedness in British Columbia”
for Living Oceans Society, 2008.
[2] The West Coast Offshore Vessel
Traffic risk Management Project:
Sponsored by the Pacific States/
British Columbia Oil Spill Task
Force, 2003.
[3] Brander-Smith, David (Chair); Final
Report of the Public Review Panel
on Tanker Safety and Marine Spills
Response Capability, Transport
Canada, 1990.
[4] David Anderson – Special Advisor;
Report to the Premier on Oil
Transportation and Oil Spills,
November 1989. R
1 The Simushir lost power on the evening of Oct. 16 last year and was towed to port in Prince Rupert, B.C.
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18 B.C. Tugboat | 2015
It has been more than a century since tugboats began working along the rugged coast of British Columbia.
The history is rich and dramatic. In 1995, we tugboat enthusiasts at Tugboats of British Columbia (tugboatvideo.com)1 began to document the industry on the Fraser river, a working river home to a number of marine towing compa-nies, such as North Arm Transportation, riverside Towing, and Hodder Tugboat Co. Ltd.
years ago, Hodder Tugboat Co. Ltd. presi-
dent Bob Hodder, who passed away in
1998, gave us the thumbs up to board the
tug Jessie Hodder to film a 12-hour shift.
That was the start of many days, weeks,
months and years capturing marine tow-
ing up and down the coast. We met many
mariners who were happy to share their
experience and history with us. Some of
them hailed from places like Campbell
river, where there is a unique breed of
tugboat mariners who work in some of
the world’s most unforgiving seas. We learned of tragic loss and great rewards for these people who chose to work on the tugs.
Many have written about the tugboat industry. A handful of books really cap-tured the tugboat life with some great interviews of some key players in the in-dustry like Against Wind and Weather: The History of Towboating in British Columbia by the late Ken Drushka. Another author is S. C. Heal, a man who has great insight
By Shane L. Hall
Tug Life
PHO
TOS
By S
HA
Ne
L. H
ALL
.
The tug Capital “C” is seen entering Port Moody.
B.C. Tugboat 19
PHO
TOS
By S
HA
Ne
L. H
ALL
.
1 Tugboats of British Columbia is a website dedicated to those who have worked in marine transportation.
index to advertisersB.C. Maritime employers Association ........................... 13
Bracewell Marine Group Ltd. .......................................... 15
Catherwood Towing Ltd. ....................................................4
Chevron Canada ............................................................OBC
CMC electronics ................................................................ 16
Donaldson ropes .............................................................. 17
North Island College ......................................................... 17
redden Net & Samson rope ........................................ IFC
robert Allan Ltd. ..................................................................7
Seacom Marine electronics Ltd. .................................... 15
Stryker electronics .............................................................6
Superior Lidgerwood Mundy ............................................4
What is the single biggest challenge to the
marine towing industry? It could be finding
dedicated crew members that have tug life
in their blood and spirit like those long be-
fore them who, with pride and conviction,
helped build B.C.’s towing legacy. R
to the tugs and has self-published a num-ber of books which include information on key players in the growth of the B.C. towing companies. Unfortunately, history is fading with the loss of many old-timers who spent their lives on tugs. Their vast knowledge and experience cannot be re-placed by textbooks.
Future of tuggingThe future of marine towing on this coast seems secure – if you have deep pock-ets or a secure contract to provide tow-ing services. We have seen companies fade into history as well. Changes are constant, and some find these changes hard to accept. Gone are the glory days of towing. The men and women who played such a huge part in tugboat history are leaving us, and their departure leaves a void. Today’s mariners are a different breed and, in our observations, many do not have the same zeal and passion for the job.
The tug Sea Imp IX of Catherwood is moving along the Fraser River.
Chevron Legacy in Coal HarbourContinuing Chevron’s long-standing tradition of safely providing
quality services and products to the marine community
© 2014 Chevron Canada Limited. All rights reserved. CHEVRON and the Chevron Hallmark are registered trademarks of Chevron Intellectual Property LLC.
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