230
September, 2003

Repowering a Hawaiian Tug: More Power, Better Air Quality

Photo of Kamaehu courtesy of Sause Bros. Inc.

Sause Brothers, based in Coos Bay Oregon, also operate tugs out of Long Beach, California and Honolulu, Hawaii. They have been providing ocean towing between the mainland and the Hawaiian Islands since 1966. In more recent years they have also maintained three docking tugs in the islands. As many harbour operators can attest, the high visibility of docking tugs provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to environmental protection.

When the time came to repower Sause’s Z-drive ship assist tug Kamaehu (ex Koos Pilot) the importance of a low emissions and minimal exhaust smoke was a significant criteria in the selection of replacement engines. A pair of Cummins KTA38 M2 met these as well as horsepower requirements and the company ordered a pair for installation this coming December. Given the duty cycle in the ship assist role, the new engines will be able to operate at the intermittent rating of 1500 hp each at 2050 RPM. This will give the 72 x 25.5 x 9.5-foot tug a total of 3000 hp turning the 78 x 69-inch props on her twin Schottel Z-drive units. The company expects that the tug’s bollard pull with the new engines will be in the 100,000 pound range.

The Kamaehu is equipped with a Knutson Diesel bow winch and two 60 kw gen sets. As a harbour boat she operates with a crew of two. She carries 9000 gallons of fuel as well as 400 gallons of water and 150 gallons of lube oil.

In a statement on the repower as representative of the environmental commitment of Sause Brothers, a company spokesman wrote, "The repowering is an opportunity for us to upgrade the engines in the Kamaehu to a newer, more fuel-efficient, cleaner burning, and reliable engine. The new cleaner-burning reduced emission engines will enhance the air quality in the Honolulu, HI area, the Kamaehu’s primary area of operation. This project not only provides Sause Bros. with a more fuel-efficient—and therefore cost effective—vessel, it enables us to maintain our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship throughout our fleet. Our bases of operation in Coos Bay, OR, Long Beach, CA, and Honolulu, HI have all seen significant changes over the past several years designed to enhance our ability to serve our customers well and improve environmental quality. Steps we have taken include:

1. Constructing a new generation of six double-hull liquid cargo barges; all oil and chemical products will be transported in double-hull vessels.

2. New barges are designed to be user-friendly for barge operations personnel, and include four separate and redundant cargo level monitoring devices.

3. Improving and upgrading spill response capability on all liquid cargo barges.

4. Repowering tugs operating solely or primarily in California waters with engines meeting or exceeding California NOX emissions guidelines.

5. Taking specific steps to reduce crew fatigue for tug personnel.

6.Continuing with regular and proactive barge and tug crew training seminars designed to improve the quality and reliability of our services.

7. Designing and fabricating modifications to tugs to reduce noise emissions, thus reducing the effects of noise on tug crews, and improving the quality of life for those living along waterways in our areas of operation.

For more information contact:

Sause Bros Inc
155 E. Market Ave
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Oregon, USA
Phone: 541-269-5841
Fax: 541-269-5866
E-mail: info@sause.com
or Tim Young at: tyoung@harborside.com
URL: http://www.sause.com/

John Walls
Sales Manager
Cummins Northwest, Inc.
811 S.W. Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057-9811
Phone: 425 235-3400
Work: 1 800 274-0336
Fax: 425 545-7374
E-Mail: John.M.Walls@cummins.com
URL: http://www.gce.cummins.com/mce/mce_pages/productpage.htm

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