Seattle, WA — In late 2009, the Seattle-based Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) was awarded a contract by Servicios Industriales de la Marina (SIMA) PERU S.A. to deliver the Design and Class Package, and Detailed Construction Engineering for two identical pusher tugs. The tugs will be owned and operated by the Panama Canal Authority, which selected SIMA to build the tugs to GPA’s design in a competitive procurement process. Both tugs will be constructed at SIMA’s Chimbote shipyard, located in Chimbote, Peru, with construction for the first tug expected to commence in late 2010.
The 29.70-meter tugs, destined to support dredging operations in the Panama Canal, are equipped with two GE medium speed 12V228 main engines rated at 2,630 HP each and two ship’s service generators at 135kW each. Two stainless steel propellers in Kort nozzles produce 55MT bollard pull (ahead), while bollard pull astern will be 36MT.
The deck on the tugs is kept clear above the engines for ease of removing the engines if necessary, an unusual feature for a vessel of this size. The sightlines fore and aft are excellent as the operator places a high premium on visibility from the wheelhouse.
The vessels, which have day accommodations for 6 crewmembers, will bear the class notations ABS, +A1 Towing Vessel, +AMS, ACCU.
“The design of these tugboats is the first project GPA has undertaken with SIMA and the Panama Canal Authority. We are proud that the PCA has selected our design and is confident in our engineering capabilities and we are excited about our relationship with SIMA as we expand into the South American market,” says Christopher Townsend, Naval Architect and Project Manager at GPA.
Guido Perla and Associates, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is recognized as a world leader in naval architecture and marine engineering.
