B.C. Tugboat 2020

TUGBOAT

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40934510

2020

SST Tsimshian Warrior makes its entrance

Seaspan introduces marine simulator

BC Ferries introduces four more electric vessels

Published by DEL COMMUNICATIONS INC. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0G5 delcommunications.com President: David Langstaff Managing Editor: Cindy Chan cindy@delcommunications.com

2020

Co n t e n t s Message from the editor......................................................................................................................................................4

Advertising Sales Manager: Dayna Oulion dayna@delcommunications.com

Catching up with the new wave .................................................................................................................................6

Advertising Sales: Brent Astrope Kari Philippot

Bracewell: Built well.................................................................................................................................................................. 10

Go electric or go home.........................................................................................................................................................8

MS Regatta: Refreshed and ready to go........................................................................................................12 Production services provided by: S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Creative Director / Design: Kathy Cable Advertising Art: Dave Bamburak

© Copyright 2020 DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved.The contents of this

New year’s resolution: Update your contracts.......................................................................................... 14 Team up to clean up.............................................................................................................................................................. 16 A proud North Coast company................................................................................................................................ 18 Marine simulator facility test brings out the best....................................................................................20 New instructor brings international experience to B.C. marine training.......................24 Ledcor Marine does it all..................................................................................................................................................26 Strengthening their fleet.....................................................................................................................................................28

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Cover photo credit to Robert Allan Ltd. B.C. Tugboat 2020 3

Message from the Editor Technology is a huge part of the tugboat industry.

Rather than stay irrelevant and complacent, the tugboat industry is constantly keeping up with the latest technology to ensure their employees are safe and working efficiently.

One such example is Seaspan Marine, who has created its own Marine Simulator Facility.

Through this simulator, tugmasters are able to learn their craft at a higher level.

Outside of work, BC Ferries is focused on leaving the Earth better than how they found it. Keep reading to learn how the organization teamed up to clean up.

We hope you enjoy this issue of B.C. Tugboat. If you have any story ideas or comments, please feel free to email me at cindy@delcommunications.com. Ăœ

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

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Catching up with the new wave Exciting times as local fleets expanding with state-of-the-art terminal tugs

here was something very special about 2019. And the wave that built throughout the year may crest even higher in 2020 and beyond.

The early and middle parts of the recently passed decade were full of ambitious project proposals, primarily related to the oil and gas export boom from

British Columbia that never quite materialized as planned. Acting in a consulting role to many project proponents during that time, it was at times difficult to witness several projects with grandiose ambitions and what would have been equally grand tug fleets that ultimately fizzled due to various financial and political pressures. But the tide notably shifted in the latter part of the decade, with positive final investment decisions for several large projects, with some of the most notable from a tug designer’s perspective being AltaGas’ Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal near Prince Rupert, Trans Mountain’s Pipeline Expansion Project in Burnaby and the LNG Canada project in Kitimat.

SAAM Towage made the first big splash in the early part of 2019, first with the arrival of the SST Orca and SST Grizzly, a pair of RAstar 3200s designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Hong Kong-headquartered Cheoy Lee Shipyards’ Hin Lee yard. Escort rated and with 80 tonnes of bollard pull, the addition of these two tugs to the Vancouver fleet signalled that the local fleet was ready to handle expanding vessel traffic and increasing requirements for tug escort.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

SST Orca displays its Fi-Fi 1 class off-ship fire-fighting system at blessing ceremony.

Blessing ceremony of the SST Tsimshian Warrior.

Only a few short months later, SAAM took delivery of the SST Tsimshian Warrior from Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard for its Prince Rupert, B.C. fleet. Custom-designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to meet the requirements of escorting very large gas carriers (VLGCs) from AltaGas’ new propane export terminal, this 32-metre-long, 80-tonne bollard pull, IMO Tier III compliant (a first for Canada) RAstar 3200-W tug was a star at AltaGas’ grand opening ceremony held in May, undoubtedly one of the local industry’s highlights of the year. This new arrival set a new high bar for escort performance and environmental stewardship not just for Prince Rupert, but also for the entire coast, and was

announced, these tugs are being designed by Robert Allan Ltd. specifically for the requirements of the project and are expected to generate significant excitement upon their arrival in B.C.

recently honoured as one of the Royal Institution of Naval

And albeit not a new build, many readers will likely have

Architects’ Significant Small Ships of 2019.

noticed the recent arrival in Vancouver of the tug Point

In July, Seaspan made clear that they too were ready for this next wave, with the announcement of a $6.5-million training program, including the commissioning of a stateof-the-art real-time vessel simulator at their facilities in

Valiant as an addition to Island Tug & Barge’s fleet. This tug has the distinction of having been built in Canada in 1998

by Groupe Ocean’s shipyard in Quebec to a Robert Allan Ltd. RApport 2400 design.

North Vancouver. But the biggest news came in August,

With several export projects currently under construction,

with the announcement that HaiSea Marine, the Seaspan/

and still others potentially on the horizon, it will be very

Haisla First Nation joint venture, had secured a 12-year

exciting to welcome this new wave of truly world-class tugs

contract for escort and harbour towage to the LNG

that have and will be joining the local fleet in 2020 and

Canada project, valued at approximately $500 million. As

beyond. Ü B.C. Tugboat 2020

7

Go electric

or go home

By Cindy Chan

B

C Ferries is working towards a clean future with the announcement of four more battery electric-hybrid Island Class vessels.

fleet and be a leader in the energy transition to a lower

The company has awarded Damen Shipyards Group of the Netherlands the contracts to build the vessels that are

Norway, whose transportation network is closer to

scheduled to go into service in 2022. In 2017, Damen built two first-in-class of these types of vessels that have successfully completed sea trials, which arrived in Victoria, B.C. in January 2020.

According to Captain Jamie Marshall, who is also BC Ferries’ vice-president of business development and innovation, the four vessels are part of the company’s Clean Futures Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse

carbon future,” Marshall said in a release.

Marshall says BC Ferries is inspired by countries like carbon-neutral.

“We want to move towards lower route emissions across our fleet with the vision and goal of becoming carbon-neutral over the next several decades,” Marshall says.

The four battery electric-hybrid vessels will be identical to the two that arrived in January. They are 47-car ferries, each with a capacity for 300 to 450 passengers. They will operate some of BC Ferries’ interisland routes.

gas (GHG) emissions by replacing carbon-intensive, fossil-fuelled vessels with ships that use clean energy.

“They’re all ready for electric operation. That means

“These next four Island Class ships are a major step in

they’ll be fully electrical zero-emission vessels,” Marshall

our plan to progressively lower emissions across the

says.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

when the shore infrastructure and funding is available,

“ We want to move towards lower route emissions across our fleet with the vision and goal of becoming carbon-neutral over the next several decades,” Marshall says.

BC Ferries has partnered with Corvus Energy who provides

Additionally, the vessels are outfitted with LED lighting with

battery power for a lot of ferry operators in the world. The

energy-saving technology built into them, heat recovery

vessels are capable of having 2,000 kilowatts – or two

systems and Ocean Networks Oceanographic Sensors on

megawatts – of battery power. However, they do have

the hull. The former is the result of a partnership between

diesel generators as a secondary source of power.

University of Victoria (UVic) and Ocean Networks Canada,

The vessels are extremely quiet as well. The machinery is vibration-isolated to reduce underwater and ambient

who placed the sensors on the hull to monitor salinity and temperatures and overall study the Salish Sea.

noise. The twin propellers are designed to reduce

Marshall recognizes the goal of becoming carbon-neutral

underwater-radiated noise. Marshall acknowledges

is a hefty one, but BC Ferries is currently working with BC

that BC Ferries is a big user of the waterways, therefore

Hydro and the provincial and federal governments to look

generating a good portion of noise, but the new

at ways to expedite the shore infrastructure that will enable

technology will be the quietest in operation.

the vessels to operate as fully electrical. Ü

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Bracewell: Built well

B

race yourselves – Bracewell Marine Group provides expert marine craft and repair services to all types of vessels, from landing barges to fishing boats and tugboats to yachts.

Established in 2000, Bracewell Marine Group is located at a Shelter Island Marina & Boatyard, a fullservice marina, on 20 acres of paved land in Richmond, B.C. Bracewell Marine Group has two lifts (75- and 220ton) on site, and can accommodate vessels up to 120 feet in length with a beam up to 29 feet. Bracewell Marine Group also has a machine shop on site, and can make and repair marine bearings, shafts and winches.

Matt Lyth, machine shop foreman, says winches are the latest product at Bracewell Marine Group, having started offering them about three years ago. Lyth says industry was showing that there was going to be a demand for the product.

“Winches are basically a device that winds cable. They hold steel cable that you can spool out and in for towing barges or other boats,” Lyth says. “We’ve repaired and manufactured winches in the past, but these ones are specific to us.”

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

Bracewell Marine Group built one, got the word out there and, so far, it has been paying off. Its tow winch BMG 1.5” X 2247 drum holds 2,247 feet of 1.5-inch cable; has a 2,500-PSI operating pressure; and has a line speed of 186 feet per minutes at 80 gallons full drum speed. Its outer layer line pull is 17,258 pounds. It is 103.5 inches long and 107 and 7/8 inches wide (with hand wheel and bollard), and is 71 inches high. For more information, visit bracewellmarinegroup.com.

“We have a full-service machine shop, and we offer shafting and shaft repairs, which is a big thing in our area,” Kristina Bracewell, office manager for Bracewell Marine Group, says.

In the boatyard, Bracewell Marine Group provides surface restoration for ocean-going fiberglass, wood, aluminum, steel or concrete surfaces on commercial boats, tugs, ships, fishing vessels, barges and pleasure vessels. The company also assists with boat maintenance and repair from gas and diesel engines, rigging, fiberglass, gel coat, woodwork, electrical, mechanical, underwater services, restorations, bottom painting, waxing, polishing and all necessary specialty marine products and supplies. Ü

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T

he MS Regatta, an 824-passenger flagship of Oceania Cruises, underwent a large refit in September 2019 at Seaspan Vancouver Drydock in Lower Lonsdale in North Vancouver, but now it’s back in business.

By Cindy Chan

MS Regatta: Refreshed and ready to go

According to Ad Bertens, director of business development for Seaspan Shipyards, the MS Regatta spends most of the summer periods here in the Northwest Pacific, with its home base in Seattle and Vancouver. The MS Regatta is 22 years old (built in 1998), which means the vessel has reached its half-life milestone. As a result, it was due for a refit. The construction included a total upgrade of the hotel area and mechanical equipment, and new hull coating system (silicone basis).

“All of the hotel rooms were stripped down to bare steel. All the furniture, wood work, flooring and bathrooms were taken out,” Bertens explains. “Specialized companies built everything with new materials brought in from all over the world.

That was the reason we had 375 20-foot containers of materials in storage.”

Both propellers had been replaced, as they were 22 years old, by built-up propellers with new hydrodynamic design to improve fuel efficiency.

Furthermore, built-up propellers are beneficial because if a propeller blade is damaged, the blade can just simply be removed underwater and replaced with a new one. Also, the stabilizers ave been completely overhauled.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

In the end, the MS Regatta received complete new interiors, complete new restaurants, new galleys, new propellers and a new coating system on the underwater hull.

The vessel came to Seaspan on Sept.

6, 2019, and was undocked on Sept.

22, 2019. Passengers boarded on Sept. 24 in Seattle for the next cruise.

“Normally with these types of projects, they have a very hard deadline,” Bertens says. “Passengers are booked for the next trip already.

All of this work was done in 16 days in the yard.”

In the end, the MS Regatta received complete new interiors, complete new restaurants, new galleys, new propellers and a new coating system on the underwater hull. Bertens says the project was completed with 2,750 crane lifts on the ship with a total of five cranes.

“We took lots of old material away from the vessel,” he says. “Everything was packed in containers, lifted off from the vessels and brought to a recycling centre.”

accommodation ship for the 1,750

Seaspan designed nine platforms before arrival of the vessel to connect to the ship in order to improve the logistic process for offloading of old materials and bringing on the new materials for building up the hotel area again.

Seaspan Vancouver Drydock. As

“We did 2,750 crane lifts with five cranes. We had 375 20-foot containers here in storage, and we had 1,750 workers helping us,” Bertens says, adding that another cruise ship was used as an

in the (expedition) cruise industry over

employees to sleep in.

“We were not able to find 1,750 hotel rooms,” Bertens adds with a laugh.

“It was a very interesting project for a result of this project, Vancouver Drydock has proven the ability to take on these types of large, logistic projects and to deliver them on time and within budget. Vancouver Drydock has generated more work 2019, with drydocking of my Roald Amundsen (first hybrid-powered vessel crossing the Northwest Passage Crossing) and my Silver Explorer.” Ü

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13

New year’s resolution: Update your contracts

By David Jarrett, a Vancouver lawyer with Bernard LLP

A

David Jarrett

lthough many people have abandoned their new year’s resolutions hours or even minutes into a new year, there is no better time to resolve to review your organization’s contracts and terms and conditions. Periodic reviews can ensure they are effective and properly protect your best interests.

Depending on the nature of your work, your contracts may include bills of lading, contracts of affreightment, towing contracts, ship-handling contracts and other carriage documents. You may also have terms and conditions that you say apply to all of your business dealings. In addition, you may use purchase orders in the course of your business.

All of these should be periodically reviewed to ensure that they contain clear terms and reflect the current state of Canadian law and are consistent as a whole.

Ideally, contracts clearly set out each contracting party’s obligations for simple things such as payment terms and interest rates, as well as division of responsibilities for risk and insurance. If your contracts have not been reviewed in a very long time, they may contain antiquated language, references to statutes that have been repealed or replaced on unenforceable interest rates on 14

B.C. Tugboat 2020

If your contracts have not been reviewed in a very long time, they may contain antiquated language, references to statutes that have been repealed or replaced on unenforceable interest rates on unpaid amounts owing. unpaid amounts owing. Unfortunately, without proper periodic reviews, issues with contracts are usually only discovered after an incident or when they are otherwise found wanting in trying to secure payment or deny responsibility for a loss.

Periodic contractual review is part of a healthy risk management strategy and beats the alternative of uncovering issues after an incident or when trying to collect on an unpaid account.

Properly written contracts refer to the current state of the law and are more likely to be seen as unambiguous and enforceable by a court. Clear

contractual terms can also serve to limit liability or otherwise modify or eliminate common law duties.

They can also assist your insurance broker in obtaining cover at the best available rates.

the parties or by custom of the trade.

As such, it is important to ensure that your standard terms and conditions that may be referred to in other contractual documents are also reviewed from time to time.

As courts often narrowly interpret contracts against the party seeking to rely on them, it is important to make sure that the terms are clear, consistent and unambiguous. It is also important to make sure that the parties have actually agreed to the contractual terms. Standard terms and conditions can form part of a contract by express agreement, prior course of dealings between

We strongly suggest that you add a periodic review of your contractual documents and terms and conditions to your list of 2020 resolutions and contact your counsel to assist.

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About David Jarrett is a maritime lawyer and partner at Bernard LLP and can be reached at jarrett@bernardllp.ca or (604) 661-0616. Ăœ

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15

Team up to clean up

By Cindy Chan

B

C Ferries is doing its part to keep Mother Earth clean.

This past summer in 2019, hundreds of BC Ferries employees across the province participated in shoreline cleanups to help keep B.C.’s beaches clean. Employees hailing from Haida Gwaii, the Southern Gulf Islands, Northern Gulf Islands, Comox and Campbell River, the Sunshine Coast, Victoria and Metro Vancouver participated by gathering 1,725 kilograms of garbage, which covered 50 kilometres of shoreline.

BC Ferries staff doing their part at Langdale.

According to Captain Jamie Marshall, BC Ferries’ vice-president of business development and innovation, the company has been picking up garbage for a number of years.

“We have certification with Green Marine,” Marshall says.

Green Marine is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry, according to its website (green-marine.org).

It’s a “voluntary, transparent and inclusive initiative that addresses key environmental issues through its 12 performance indicators.

Participants are ship owners, ports, terminals, Seaway corporations and shipyards.”

BC Ferries cleaning up the shoreline on the Tsawwassen Causeway.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

In order to receive certification, participants must “benchmark their annual environmental performance through the program’s self-

Green Marine is an environmental certification program for the North American marine industry, according to its website (green-marine.org). evaluation guides, have their results verified by an accredited external verifier and agree to publication of their individual results.”

Out of the 133 Green Marine participants, BC Ferries is one of only three to certify three types of activities: vessels, terminals and shipyard. Being certified means reducing BC Ferries’ environmental footprint and cleaning up the areas it operates in, says Marshall.

gloves to wear with which to pick up garbage, or they used gardening gloves. They were encouraged to bring buckets to pick up the garbage as to not use more plastic.

it’s surprising to find stuff that you cleaned up a year ago.”

In addition to cleaning up parts of the province, BC Ferries also benefited from the team-building

Marshall says his team picked up all sorts of garbage, ranging from car parts to sleeping bags.

aspect of the event. Marshall says it’s an opportunity for employees who have never worked together to spend the day getting to know

“It’s amazing what people throw out,” he says. “We’ve gone to the same beaches over the years, and

one another and give back to the communities they serve. Ü

“Our employees volunteer on an annual basis. Last year, we had 300 employees cleaning up over 50 kilometres from Haida Gwaii down to as far as Victoria,” Marshall recalls.

“Our employees love doing this.”

The cleanup took place over a period of several days.

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A proud North Coast company

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at Leedm Marine started as New Pacifica in 2000 and operated in Prince Rupert for a number of years before the Metlakatla Development Corporation and Ron Brinkhurst of Tidal Coast Terminals purchased the company, expanding its offerings. In 2018, Lax Kw’alaams Business Development joined with the existing partners to also assume an ownership role with the company.

With 15 years of float construction experience, Gat Leedm Marine has a proven track record of marine construction projects that stand the test of time on the North Coast. From Marina refit projects to individual float construction, we supply users with a 18

B.C. Tugboat 2020

superior product that is second to none.

Gat Leedm Marine can offer a full suite of services to our customers that include engineering, design, pile driving and other infrastructure to ensure your new project will remain sound and handle the North Coast elements for years to come.

Our floats are: • Environmentally safe: Concrete is chemically inert and doesn’t react easily with other substrates; • Rigid: Our floats are built on land to reduce the stress put on lifting and sliding; • Insurable: Unsinkable and noncombustible; and

• Customized: Utility chases, serviceready and building envelopes are among the services we offer.

Sawmill/custom cut timbers Located just off the waters of the Pacific sits Gat Leedm Marine’s millwork shop. At 4,800 square feet, our shop holds a large variety of products and is capable of milling, shaping and planning to meet your needs. Our lumber is stickered and stacked in an air-dried manner where most of the moisture is naturally removed over time as to reduce checking.

Our mill location relative to Tidal Coast Terminal log yard has a major advantage in terms of log supply.

The two sites are directly adjacent

to each other reducing logistics and trucking costs. This important business relationship allows Gat Leedm Marine to make an assortment of North Coast species available to our clients. Each tree is unique. The ability to source specific logs to meet our clients’ needs is just one more reason to have us fill your orders. Our sawyers have decades of experience, which is evident from the superior cut quality of all timber that leaves the mill.

At Gat Leedm Marine, our mission is to provide a quality product that stands up to the North Coast elements in a safe, sustainable and environmentally conscious way. It’s what we strive for, and it’s what we deliver.

For more information, or to begin a consultation, contact us at info@gatleedmmarine.com. Ü

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19

Marine simulator facility test brings out the best

By Cindy Chan

S

easpan Marine is invested in training its staff to be the very best it can be, which is why the Marine Simulator Facility was created.

According to Bart Reynolds, president of Seaspan Marine, most training of personnel in the marine industry was similar to how many young people learned to drive, with instruction from parents or guardians.

Through this method, the young driver would have picked up whatever good – and bad – habits their teacher possessed.

“Certainly, there were certain aspects of driving you didn’t pick up and were never taught, because you weren’t taught by a professional,” Reynolds says. “The ad hoc system of training works at a certain level of competency, but it’s not the same

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

from one person to the next. We were looking for opportunities to do better.”

Reynolds says Seaspan Marine searched high and low to see who had better training methods and what systems were out there that were productive not only in terms of how long it took to train somebody but also at what level in the end. That’s when Seaspan Marine learned about SeaWays Global, the international standard bearer in tug training, simulation, auditing and assessments.

“When we found them, they had trained 1,500 tugmasters with their system across the world,” Reynolds says.

What sets SeaWays Global apart is the training is certified by a third-party certification society, which means a third party will come in and certify that someone is operating to a certain standard.

What sets SeaWays Global apart is the training is certified by a third-party certification society, which means a third party will come in and certify that someone is operating to a certain standard.

“This is the only training program for tugmasters that is certified, which piqued our interest,” Reynolds says.

Seaspan Marine invited SeaWays Global to Vancouver to learn more about their program. In just a couple of hours, SeaWays Global had already made a list of areas to improve standardization across the fleet. As a result, Seaspan Marine sent four tugmasters to the SeaWays Global training facility in the United

Kingdom to go through the course.

The 10-day, intensive course involved simulation; each instructor was responsible for two students. Following the 10 days of simulation was six days of live training, doing exactly what they did in the simulator but on vessels. Afterwards, the students went back to Vancouver to do the six days of live training on their vessels.

“The four guys we sent over there

were amazed at how much they learned and how much better they became at handling tugboats,” Reynolds says. “We decided we were going to do this for all of our people.”

Reynolds and his team decided that rather than sending everyone overseas, they were going to build their own simulator to have access to year-round.

Seaspan Marine signed a contract

SERVICING BC AND BEYOND Seaspan has over 130 years of experience and deep-rooted relationships in coastal communities in British Columbia and beyond. Our ferries, tugs and barges play an instrumental role in transporting essential goods and ensuring they’re delivered to the communities that count on us.

Please visit seaspan.com for more information.

B.C. Tugboat 2020

21

“With the help of SeaWays Global, we put this together. They love to come here now because the simulator we have is better than what they have in their own facility,” Reynolds adds. with SeaWays Global in May 2018 for the first round of classes. In March 2019, Seaspan Marine opened its own simulator – the first of its kind in North America.

The facility features two identical simulator rooms that are fully enclosed. There are 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling video screens in the

rooms so students can feel as though they are actually on a tugboat.

“We can run two separate training courses or exercises, or we can bring the two together if we wanted,” Reynolds says. “A third room is set up with a smart board and touchscreens, so it can be used as a training room.

Seaspan Marine will have trained 100 of their mariners by the middle of 2021.

“We’re using the facility full-time, training our people as quickly as possible. Because we can only train four people at a time, it takes time, but we’re really pleased with the results,” Reynolds says.

Once masters have finished their simulator and live training, they are required to take a timed test that takes place live on the vessel, which involves a number of different maneuvers.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

“The instructor does it first, and then the student has to do it within 30 per cent of the time,” Reynolds explains, adding that the test is pass/fail. “They have to do it four times to prove they’ve got the skill set, the proof of competency.”

The course teaches a total of 25 different skills. Each year, mariners must re-test to ensure they still have the skill set.

“It’s a great thing for us to say to our customers – that we have something here that’s third-party certified, that shows our people are competent to the highest standard,” Reynolds says.

Ü

HODDER TUGBOAT CO. LTD. GENERAL MARINE TOWING

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23

New instructor brings international experience to B.C. marine training

A

ndrei Romanov brings thousands of nautical miles of experience to his new position as a marine training instructor at North Island College.

He spent 12 years working up the ranks onboard Russian freighters and then 23 years with BC Ferries, retiring as captain on the Comox to Powell River route. He joined NIC in the fall of 2019 as one of three marine training instructors.

NIC offers a range of marine training courses, from basic first aid to operator competency certificates for commercial and fishing vessels.

The training is Transport Canadaapproved and students have the ability to earn several industry-specific certifications.

Andrei Romanov.

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

Romanov got his start as a mariner attending the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The academy has an international reputation for training professional mariners for civil and merchant fleets. He was first drawn to the industry because it offered a lifelong career with good wages.

Both his wife and son currently work in the marine industry, so he also has a personal reason to want to see safety training done well.

“I want to teach people about safety because I want to see people actually use their skills when they’re needed,” says Romanov. “Solid theoretical knowledge is crucial to

ship safety, such as ship stability, because if you can prevent the ship from going down, you won’t need to know how quickly to put on your life jacket.”

Romanov is excited about helping the next generation of mariners develop and improve their skills.

“Many of our students come from the tugboats and other areas in the industry, so they have lots of experience, knowledge and skills,” says Romanov. “We can help them prepare for the next step in their career – from mate to master, from master of small boats to captain of bigger boats.”

One of Romanov’s goals in the classroom is helping to make complicated or intimidating topics more accessible for students.

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“Safety is not just about putting your life jacket on,” he says.

“With things like ship stability, there is some math involved and it’s more academic than what students may be used to.

It’s something I really want to instruct and make it easier for students.”

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One of the things Romanov loves about the industry is the variety of jobs – there’s always something new to learn.

“The industry is so vast,” he says. “It’s interesting because it is all different, depending on what you are doing. You can be an expert in one field and then move to another, but then you have to really start from the very bottom to understand it.”

Romanov is familiar with having to start from the beginning.

When he moved to Canada and joined BC Ferries, he started as a deckhand and worked his way up to captain.

“I had to begin from the bottom up,” he says. “I learned a lot by doing that, about how the organization operates and about where I wanted to go. Being a captain is something you really have to enjoy because it’s very specific. I really enjoyed my years at the helm.”

Romanov is hoping to see more students look to the marine industry as a career choice.

“There’s a huge demand for skilled marine workers,” says Romanov. Ü

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

25

Ledcor Marine

does it all

L

edcor Marine is a familiar sight on B.C.’s Fraser River, operating one of the largest, diverse and growing marine transportation operations in Southwest British Columbia for over 10 years.

Ledcor Marine is committed to providing unwavering safety leadership, efficient scheduling and consistent quality in all services.

Ledcor Marine currently operates a fleet of barges and tugboats – from flat deck barges, aggregate barges, fibre barges to coastal tugs that are used to serve a wide range of sectors, including forestry, bio-energy and industrial.

The fleet also includes specially designed and constructed barges that feature open ends for ease of load and off-load and higher box walls that allow for high volume transport, and transfer of fibre and other low-density materials efficiently and economically. The fibre barges are specifically designed and built for the transport of wood chips, hog fuel and high cubic cargoes. The aggregate barges are ideally suited for the rigorous demands of construction material transport, including aggregate, sand and high-density general cargo.

Based in Richmond and operating from over a dozen depots along the Fraser River, the Howe Sound and the 26

B.C. Tugboat 2020

Georgia Strait, their tugs can be easily deployed to any location along the B.C. coast to provide clients with the marine transportation solutions for any challenge.

Ledcor Marine is part of the resources and transportation division under the Ledcor Group of Companies, which has a long history in the aviation, marine, forestry and trucking sectors, moving people and goods across the Pacific Northwest, Western Canada and Canada’s northern territories.

Working in unison with trucking and forestry operations, Ledcor Marine offers vertically integrated supply chain services to B.C.’s forestry and bio-energy industry, producing and delivering biofuel, wood chips and kraft pulp by land and by sea.

As part of a large, employee-owned organization, employees can participate in ongoing training, skills development and mentoring activities. This environment creates a dynamic team that learns together and supports one another. Ledcor’s long-term customer contracts provide a steady work schedule for both junior and senior crew members. Many of Ledcor’s tug masters started out as deckhands and have worked their way up the ranks in a relatively short period of time. Their in-house training program is designed to grow from within and provides all

employees the opportunity to become an officer on board the tugs.

About

“As a leading, diversified and innovative marine service provider, we are very proud of our employees and the hard work they do every day,” says Ferdi Van De Kuijlen, senior vice-president, marine. “We expect to be on B.C. waters for many more years and it’s a great time for those that would to like to start and grow their career in B.C.’s thriving marine industry.”

most diversified construction companies, serving the civil

As a master mariner and marine engineer with a long history working in the international and B.C. marine industry, Van De Kuijlen joined Ledcor almost one year ago.

20 offices. Since 1947, the company has been growing

The Ledcor Group of Companies is one of North America’s and infrastructure, oil and gas, pipeline, building, mining, power and telecommunications sectors. Ledcor also owns operations in property investment, forestry, aviation and marine transportation services. Ledcor is a privately held, employee-owned company with over 800 employee shareholders. Ledcor employs over 7,000 people across with its clients and partners – forward. Together. See how at www.ledcor.com. Ü

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

27

Island Raider moved onto blocks.

Strengthening their fleet Island Tug puts work in workboats

28

B.C. Tugboat 2020

B

ritish Columbia-based Island Tug and Barge (ITB), a subsidiary of Tidewater Canada, has spent the first quarter of 2020 busy utilizing their two new custombuilt articulated tug and barges (ATB), Island Raider and Island Regent, as well as their newly chartered vessel assist and ship escort tug, the Point Valiant.

“The ATBs were built to meet and exceed all regulatory and industry established standards of operation, provide crew comfort and endurance and efficiently and reliably serve our clients and the communities along the B.C. coast,” explains Adrian Samuel, ITB president. “In the past year of service, these new ATBs have surpassed our expectations.”

The tugs Island Raider and Island Regent were largely built at ITB’s Annacis Island Shipyard in 2017. When it was time to relocate the tugs in May 2018, ITB worked with Mammoet, Dynamic Heavy Lift and Ironclad Marine, and in order for the tugs to be moved onto the Dynamic Beast, a crane barge that was moored to a temporary set of pilings in the Fraser River, they had to be moved over a below-grade railroad siding,

three sets of tracks and a 40-foot declining berm, as well as under a set of transmission power lines. The two tugs were transported by the Beast downriver to the Port of Vancouver, B.C. There, the 900-ton capacity crane lifted the two 384-ton tugs off the barge and into the harbour.

The Island Raider was outfitted and christened at ITB’s Berry Point facility on Sept. 28, 2018; the Island Regent was transported to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island, Washington state, where construction was completed in May 2019. The christening of the Island Regent took place on June 20, 2019, also at Berry Point.

Both state-of-the-art tugs were designed by acclaimed Robert Allan Ltd. naval architects and marine engineers of Vancouver, B.C. and were paired with ITB’s 26,650-barrel capacity, double-hulled oil tank barges, the ITB Reliant and ITB Resolution. Main propulsion for the 24-metre (length) by 12.5-metre (beam) Island Raider and Island Regent is provided by twin Cummins KTA38M 634 KW engines, producing 850 horsepower each at 1,800 rpm. Through carbon fiber shafts, the main engines connect to two 1,600-millimetre, four-bladed in-nozzle Rolls Royce US105 FP azimuthing thrusters (Z-drives), providing maximum thrust and enhanced maneuverability. The joined ATBs have a

Point Valiant.

fully loaded speed of 10 knots, with almost no vibration in the cabin.

In order to bring an unmatched level of experience and service to harbour towing and vessel escort work, this past autumn, ITB chartered the Point Valiant. With over 4,000 horsepower, 45 MT bollard pull, gross tonnage of 178 T, the Point Valiant is designed for maneuverability and performance.

“For over 50 years, our clients have trusted ITB’s expertise in the safe and reliable transportation of bulk refined petroleum products and bunker fuels,” says Dylan Proctor, ITB business development manager. “We are dedicated to providing the most effective and efficient solutions, so we will continue to expand the capabilities of our fleet in the years to come.” Ü

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29

Turkey’s Med Marine is globally in high demand

By Muhammet GĂśkhan, Med Marine Business Development Manager

30

B.C. Tugboat 2020

M

ed Marine is one of the world’s market leaders in tugboat building. As Med Marine, we always strive to achieve the best and highest-quality tugboats in the market and improve our place to the very top with our large shipyard capacity, experienced and skilled engineers and motivated sales/after-sales teams.

The steel processing capacity is 32,000 tonnes per year.

We are delivering vessels all around the world. For example, last year, we had some contracts with tug owners from Europe, South America and the Middle East, and successfully delivered to countries including Italy, Guatemala, Cape Verde, Colombia, Malta, Turkey, the U.K., UAE, etc. We had contracts for more than 17 vessels in 2019 and we are expecting more in 2020.

We have recently made new contracts, which will be announced very soon. In previous years, we had very successful deliveries to Canada.

versatile and multi-purpose nature.

We exclusively employ EreÄ&#x;li Shipyard, one of the biggest shipyards in Turkey, which has the total area of 173,000 square metres. The shipyard facilities consist of 30,000 square metres of covered high ceiling steel workshop areas with overhead cranes, 3,200 square metres of office, dining, social facilities and en-suite rooms in three fully air-conditioned, high-tech buildings.

We are in continuous touch with our customers. We

The trend in the harbour tugs is shifting to smaller but stronger tugboats. The MED-A2360 (RAmparts 2300 MM) series was developed exclusively for Med Marine

by Robert Allan Ltd. When MED-A2360 series tugs are compared with other 60t BP designs, they are shorter, more compact and have better manoeuvrability. They are widely preferred for port operations due to their

In addition to tugboat construction, we produce pilot and mooring boats for our clients all over the world.

Meanwhile, we are working on hybrid, full electric and autonomous tug designs, of which we expect to receive more orders in the close future. As Med Marine is one of the leading tug builders in the world, we are always in high demand due to our high-quality, versatile and wide range of products.

listen and understand their needs, expectations and build vessels that meet and exceed their needs. We pay regular visits to different locations, explore what they need and learn from their experiences. Besides, we have a very energetic after-sales team that supports our customers for a better customer experience.

B.C. Tugboat 2020

31

As Med Marine, we know that our people are our most

sustainable products. In our tug designs, we are very

valuable assets. We continuously assess our risks in terms

sensitive and attentive about the environmental issues.

of health and safety and train our personnel in the best

We work on designs that are environmentally friendly

way to prevent those risks.

and reduce operation costs. The shipyard is constantly

We are also aware of the importance of nature. We

being improved with advanced production standards by

examine the impacts and risks of our work, and we control

keeping up with latest health, safety and environmental

them by using environmentally friendly technologies and

regulations. Ăœ

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

I N D E X TO A D V E R T I SE R S Albion Marine Solutions Ltd................................................................................ 17

King Bros. Limited............................................................................................................. 17

Arrow Marine Services Ltd.....................................................................................11

Ledcor Industries Inc....................................................................................................27

Bernard LLP..............................................................................................................................14

Med Marine.........................................................................................................................33

Bracewell Marine Group Ltd........................................................................ OBC

North Island College..................................................................................................24

Catherwood Towing Ltd..........................................................................................11

Osborne Propellers....................................................................................................... 17

Cedar Floats / Gat Leedm Marine Ltd......................................................19

Pacific Tugboat Adventures.................................................................................23

Discovery Harbour Fuel Sales.............................................................................13

Parkland Fuel Corporation.................................................................................. IBC

Don Kimura Marine Surveyor.............................................................................22

Redden Net & Rope........................................................................................................5

Donaldson Ropes Ltd..................................................................................................11

Robert Allan Ltd...........................................................................................................OFC

E.H. Emery Electric Ltd.................................................................................................20

Seaspan Shipyards....................................................................................................... 21

Harken Towing Company Ltd............................................................................25

Tymac Launch Service Ltd......................................................................................29

Hodder Tugboat Co. Ltd.........................................................................................23

Vancouver Maritime Museum of BC..............................................................4

International Longshore & Warehouse Union.....................................9

Wainwright Marine Service.................................................................................22

Island Tug & Barge Ltd............................................................................................. IFC

Western Maritime Institute.................................................................................... 15

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B.C. Tugboat 2020

coal harbour legacy a long-standing tradition of safely providing quality services and products to the marine community

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