Propspeed Ensures Operational Readiness for Sir Robert Tugboat

"Following a recent dive inspection of the underwater hull, the divers report suggests that all areas coated in Propspeed are looking clean and free of marine build up.”

Summary

Sir Robert is a 22.2 metre tug featuring 2 Caterpillar 3516 EUI marine diesels, producing a total of 4400 HP and 50-tonnes pulling power, and can operate at a speed of 12 knots.

About

Sir Robert was delivered in Whangarei, New Zealand in November 2000 for the Port of Tauranga, named in honour of the late Sir Robert Owens, a successful businessman who played a key role in developed the Port of Tauranga.

Commissioned to replace Rotorua, which was sold to Australia after 33 years at the port, Sir Robert was intended to handle large ships and is a sister vessel for three tugs based in Auckland. The 22.2 metre tug features 2 Caterpillar 3516 EUI marine diesels, producing a total of 4400 HP and 50-tonnes pulling power, and operates at a speed of 12 knots.

In order to cope with the demand of the thousands of large ships that berth in the Port of Tauranga each year, 1,307 in the year ended 30 June 2021¹, Sir Robert needs to be operationally ready at all times, with no sacrifice in performance. Reducing maintenance and saving time is essential for the tug, and so Propspeed was applied to the 2 propellers and 4 keel cooler tube sets.

After a routine dive inspection earlier this year, Pete Frewin, Tug Engineer, said, “following a recent dive inspection of the underwater hull, the divers report suggests that all areas coated in Propspeed are looking clean and free of marine build up. This includes the twin props as well as the 4 engine and auxiliary keel cooler tube sets. This inspection was completed in May and the vessel has been in operation for 6 months after her docking in September 2020.”

We have recently launched the Propspeed Commercial Kit to make applications on commercial vessels such as Sir Robert even easier, including everything you need to coat a surface of 14.2m² / 153ft².

¹ https://www.port-tauranga.co.nz/education-2/frequently-asked-questions/

"Following a recent dive inspection of the underwater hull, the divers report suggests that all areas coated in Propspeed are looking clean and free of marine build up.”