A US owner of inland waterway and port-service vessels has welcomed a new Z-drive escort-class tugboat to its Mississippi River terminal operations in Louisiana
Crescent Towing has taken delivery of new escort-class tugboat, Kentucky, to enhance its operations at terminals on the Lower Mississippi River, in the US.
This 28-m, ABS-class vessel has a beam of 11.6 m, a draught of 5.8 m, and has 4,475 kW of installed propulsion power coming from twin Caterpillar 3516E engines.
Each high-speed, four-stroke, diesel engine is compliant with US Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 emissions standards and drives a Kongsberg Maritime US 255 azimuth drive in Z formation and with a fixed-pitch propeller in a nozzle.
Kentucky is the second 4,475-kW tugboat built by Blakeley BoatWorks for Crescent Towing, following the successful delivery of Angus R. Cooper II in 2025.
“This new vessel will be a great addition to our fleet on the Mississippi River and will further strengthen our abilities to provide the best service to our customers,” said Crescent Towing president Scott Cooper.
Crescent Towing executive vice president Keith Kettenring said the Crescent Towing Port Engineering Team worked closely with Blakeley BoatWorks to produce these vessels.
Kentucky was built to a design by Crowley Engineering Services and ABS class notations covering ship escort and towing, full ocean service, and automated machinery spaces.
It has capacity for carrying 43,846 gallons of fuel and 16,811 gallons of potable water.
