Ocean Tug & Barge Engineering Corp., in partnership with Ship Architects, Inc., is pleased to present the first major rethink of the offshore supply vessel concept in over 40 years – the PROVIDER class AT/B supply vessel.

Designed for construction in less sophisticated yards where forming plate is more difficult, the FacetTug is an innovative hull shape developed by OT&BE, created solely from faceted plate sections, and has no curvature in any plating.

The OT&BE COSTWISE AT/B, now in its second generation of design, has been the subject of one of the most extensive model test programs ever completed for an AT/B. The model tests were performed in the 200m Clear Water Towing Tank at the Institute for Ocean Technology from July 2004 through January 2006. Additional model testing, in concert with Taisei Engineering, of Tokyo, was accomplished through 2008.

Still under testing and development, this new idea in escort tugs and assist tugs has had a patent applied for, and features a unique propulsion arrangement that eliminates virtually all the installation problems associated with stern Z-drive arrangements.