Posted on May 10, 2023
Recently delivered by Rodriguez Shipbuilding to Cranford, N.J.-headquartered Weeks Marine, the Boyce B is a 72- foot long by 30-foot beam push tug with an eye-level height of 31 feet. Designed by Entech, its primary mission is dredge tendering. It features aft deck and fleet deck cargo decks both designed to carry a 20-yard loaded dumpster (6,000 – 8,000) and Wintech HW40-E7.5 double drum facing winches with each drum holding 40 tons of 1-inch by 150-foot synthetic wire.
With a speed of 8 knots and a bollard pull estimated at 20 tons, the Boyce B is powered by twin Cummins QSK 19-MRCS main engines, each delivering 800 bhp (1,600 bhp total) and driving 82- by 67-inch four bladed SS Kahlenberg propeller via two Twin Disc MGX 5222 DC; 6.96:1 ratio reduction gears.
Electrical requirements are met by twin Cummins QSB7-DM engines, each paired with a 75 kW Stamford UCI274C1 generator.
With berthing for eight persons, the push tug’s other features include an emergency battery back-up system for critical electronics and lights designed by Shaun O’Brien and David Tuck and manufactured and installed by DC Marine.
As the photographs below show, though push tug exteriors may look superficially similar to those of earlier years, the interiors show the advances that have been made over the years.
