The following is text of a news release from Foss Maritime:
(HONOLULU) — Kapena Jack Young, the first of four new oceangoing tugs that will soon begin neighbor island service for Young Brothers, has been christened in Louisiana. Kapena Jack Young, designed by Damen USA and built by Louisiana-based Conrad Shipyard, marks the arrival of the first new Kapena-class tugs built for Hawaii-based Young Brothers, an independent subsidiary of Foss Maritime.
“Kapena” means “captain” in the Hawaiian language, and the name for the class of ships celebrates the skill and innovation of Young Brothers’ Hawaiian navigators and will be home-ported in Kaunakakai, Molokai. The new class of tugs is designed to match Young Brothers’ fleet of modern high capacity barges, and will improve the company’s ability to provide “just-in-time” cargo service to neighbor island communities, while enhancing service through lower maintenance down time, better tow speeds, greater operating efficiencies, and lower emissions.
Kapena Jack Young is named after Capt. Jack Young, one of three brothers who founded Young Brothers in 1900. Each of the four new Kapena-class tugs will be named after an original Young Brothers’ captain, including Kapena George Panui Sr. and Jr., Bob Purdy, and Raymond Alapai. The christening of Kapena Jack Young was held at Port Fourchon with representatives of Young Brothers, Foss Maritime, Conrad, and Damen in attendance, as well as Sharon Young, Jack Young’s granddaughter, who sponsored the vessel.
“The four new Kapena-class tugs represent our future while honoring our past. Once in service, the average age of our fleet will be reduced from an average age of 44 years to 12 years young,” said Joe Boivin, new president of Young Brothers. “The new tugs reinforce our commitment to safety, environmental stewardship and customer service.”
The 6,000-horsepower, 123-by-36-foot vessel is powered by General Electric 8L250MDC EPA Tier 4 emissions-compliant exhaust gas recirculation engines.
