VESSEL REVIEW | Jingang Lun 36 & Jingang Lun 37 – Intelligent escort tugs to operate in northern Chinese port waters

Tianjin Port Barge in northern China has expanded its towage and harbour services fleet with the recent acquisition of two new ASD tugs in a series built by Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard.

Jingang Lun 36 and Jingang Lun 37 were built to a design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) in compliance to China Classification Society rules including the Ice Class B, Cyber Security (S), i-Ship, and AUT-0 notations. The AUT-0 notation signifies compliance with requirements covering sensitive equipment data, autonomous fault analysis, risk early warning, and auxiliary decision-making.

Intelligent systems for improved operations

The two new tugs are the second generation of "intelligent" tugs built for Tianjin Port as part of the latter's broader plan to create an intelligent port. The first generation of four tugs with intelligent-ship notation were delivered in 2019 and were also designed by RAL.

The development of the tugs is part of a research cooperation between the Chinese and Finnish governments with the objective of improving port and shipping safety in Chinese waters through the introduction of intelligent vessels. The project, which is due to conclude in December 2025, also includes Zhenjiang Sernike Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Wuhan University of Technology, the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, and the Vocational Qualification Centre of the Chinese Ministry of Transport as other partners.

The initiative also seeks to address issues during tug operations, including but not limited to helm operators' blind spots; difficulties in ensuring precise control when providing close escort of large ships; and psychological impacts on crews. For instance, the navigation system can automatically make up for any errors in judging distances between tugs and ships during escort, thus ensuring safety.

Proven autonomous capability with high performance

The new Tianjin Port tugs each have an LOA of 34.6 metres (113.5 feet), a moulded beam of 11.2 metres (36.7 feet), a moulded depth of 5.22 metres (17.1 feet), a gross tonnage of 499, two Yanmar 6EY26W main engines, and two generators. Fuel oil and potable water tank capacities are 60 cubic metres (2,118 cubic feet) and 40 cubic metres (1,412 cubic feet), respectively.

During a six-day extensive sea trial, Jingang Lun 36 – Jingang Lun 37 serving as the test and evaluation vessel – completed a series of 34 comprehensive, self-control auto navigation tests that included automatic searching, approaching, and accompanying a target vessel at sea.

RAL said that this was the first time that a ship handling tug – Jingang Lun 36, in this case – has been equipped with this kind of system and approved by a classification society. Sun Bo, Deputy General Manager of Tianjin Port Barge, meanwhile remarked that the technology allows a tug to navigate autonomously under supervised conditions.

The trial also showed that the tugs satisfied all design requirements, having achieved a bollard pull of 64 tonnes (62.9 tons) and a speed of 13 knots. The intelligent systems' human interface was also evaluated, and was proven to be easy to use to ensure efficient monitoring and control.

Enhanced comfort and safety for crews

Air-conditioned accommodations are available for eight crewmembers on the main and lower deck on each tug. Each crewmember has an individual cabin in compliance to ILO MLO 2006. There are also specially designed pilot landing platforms provided to create a safe working environment for pilots. Other onboard facilities include a galley and a mess/lounge, both located on the main deck along with one officer's cabin.

For the convenience of the crew, the layouts of the deck machinery and the machinery spaces were also designed in a similar way as the other tugs in the Tianjin Port fleet with improvements learned from the previous operations.

Safety is also significantly improved. For instance, each tug was designed to be capable of returning to port under its own power even after the engine room has become flooded.