ship.energy

Master Boat Builders delivers tug Tortuga to Seaside LNG

Alabama-based shipbuilder Master Boat Builders has announced it has delivered Tortuga, the latest tugboat to join the Seaside LNG/Polaris New Energy fleet.

The vessel will connect with LNG bunker vessel Clean Everglades, which was delivered from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in 2023, to form a Jones Act compliant articulated tug and barge (ATB) for bunkering LNG.

The new tug has an overall length of 109 feet and features two Caterpillar 3512E main engines, EPA Tier 4 certified and each producing 2,000 horsepower. The vessel also features two Berg model MTA 523 Z-drive thrusters and a JAK Beacon Finland coupler system.

Tortuga will operate out of Jacksonville, Florida alongside sister vessel Polaris — also constructed by Master Boat Builders, and delivered in 2022.

‘Seaside LNG/Polaris New Energy is leading the way in LNG maritime distribution, with the largest LNG bunker fleet in the country,’ said Garrett Rice, president of Master Boat Builders. ‘We are proud to partner with an innovative company at the forefront of providing clean, dependable, competitively priced fuel for the shipping industry and look forward to working with them in the future.’

Image: Seaside LNG

Rhys Berry