AWARDS 2022 | Best Firefighting Tug – Safi-14 – Robert Allan Ltd
Yet another impressive Robert Allan Ltd design, this time for a Turkish owner. This is, at 25 metres LOA, a compact but still powerful tug offering 74 tonnes bp.
As a harbour tug, its substantial FiFi capability will be of considerable value to its owner and the port in which it will operate. It is well-fendered and its crew will enjoy all of its home comforts, including powerful HVAC.
"Safi-14 is capable of performing work requiring a larger tug," Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) told Baird Maritime. "At only 25 metres in length, she achieved 74 tonnes bollard pull on sea trials and exceeded expectations."
Being highly manoeuvrable, the tug is also especially well suited for ship-handling operations in harbours as well as towage work. Additionally, its raised forecastle deck and high level of stability allow for drier operations in heavy weather. Being equipped with a FiFi1 firefighting system, the tug is ready to respond to an emergency at a moment's notice.
"In general," added RAL, "tugs in tractor configuration can be directionally unstable at high speeds when sailing bow first (ie. Z-drive first), especially if the length to beam ratio of the hull is low. For this design, significant work was completed to ensure adequate directional stability using our in-house CFD software and established approach to directional stability analysis.
"Feedback from operators of vessels in the same series is that the boats have very good directional stability while at the same time being highly manoeuvrable."
RAL said this improved directional stability is manifest whether the tug is sailing ahead or astern. Heavy cylindrical fendering meanwhile envelops the stern bulwark with an additional row of "W" type fenders on the hull below. The cylindrical fender extends quite far forward and ties into "D" type fenders along the sheer line, ensuring adequate contact area with an assisted ship while working off the hip.
For a list of the 2022 "Best Of" award winners, please click here.
