October 5 - ALP Striker, a DP2 Anchor Handling Salvage Tug (AHST), which was delivered in September to ALP Maritime Services, achieved an impressive bollard pull result of 309.6 tonnes during its sea trials.
The vessel, which is designed for towing very large floating objects while also offering services such as anchor handling, positioning and mooring, was constructed by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair, Japan.
ALP Striker is the first of four ultra-long distance towing and anchor handling vessels for ALP Maritime Services, a subsidiary of Teekay Offshore Partners.
The vessel is a part of the shipowner's ALP Future class, a series of stronger and larger towing vessels that will be able to handle the increased size of FPSOs, FLNGs and similar floating installations.
The ALP Striker is based on the Ulstein SX 157 design.
These vessels are able to perform worldwide ocean towage of any distance, as well as positioning and hook-up of floating installations to pre-laid mooring systems, anchoring of installations and floating objects, and disconnecting and mooring retrieval as part of repositioning or decommissioning operations.
The vessels are able to do this with minimal fuel bunkering stops, optimal fuel-efficiency with a four-independent engine configuration, and high bollard pull. The Ulstein X-Bow design guarantees optimal course stability and sea keeping in adverse weather and sea conditions, says the company.
With a service speed of 13 knots, and a top speed of 19 knots, the vessels' fuel capacity is more than 3,500 cu m, which allows them to tow at full power for 45 days, sufficient for non-stop transatlantic, Indian and Pacific ocean towing operations without bunker stops. The vessels are 88.9 m long by 21 m wide.
ALP Striker.
