Tale of Two Tugboats

The two tugs in question really have nothing to do with each other, although almost all these fotos have been taken in the past month.  Bluefin, launched summer 2009, waits on the hook with Penn No. 80.  Although the colors haven’t caught up, the unit–one of 16 Penn Maritime tugs and 18 heated barges– is now owned by Kirby, in exchange for almost $300 million.

This foto and the others of this unit you can enjoy thanks to bowsprite.  The red tug–Reliant–is about 20 years older than Bluefin.

Each designed for its own purpose, Bluefin is 111 feet, whereas

Reliant . . . 30′.

Coho, launched November 2008, on paper is an identical twin of the 4000 hp Bluefin.  I took this foto in October 2009.

Here’s a foto I took of Reliant over on the west side of Bergen Point a few years back.

Thanks to bowsprite for contributing the fotos of Reliant over at WorldFi ferry terminal.  All others by Will Van Dorp.