Tug (Tugboat)
A Tug (or tugboat) is a small, highly powerful vessel built to tow or push other craft — ships far larger than itself, barges, rigs and disabled vessels. Tugs pack very high engine power and bollard pull into a compact, manoeuvrable hull, often with azimuth thrusters (as in an ASD tug) for precise control in any direction.
Tugs serve several roles: harbour tugs berth, unberth and manoeuvre large ships in confined port waters; escort tugs stand by tankers and gas carriers in sensitive waters; terminal tugs support loading berths; and ocean-going tugs tow barges and rigs on long voyages or perform salvage. A tug's key rating is its bollard pull — the towing force it can exert. For an operator, tugs are a high-value fleet whose scheduling, jobs, running hours and maintenance drive both port safety and revenue.
No large ship berths in a busy port without tugs — they provide the muscle and precision that a giant vessel's own engines cannot. Tug availability and bollard pull directly govern which ships a port can handle and how safely. Managing a tug fleet's deployment, running hours and maintenance is core marine-operations work, and the terms operators live by.
What is bollard pull?
The towing force a tug can exert, measured in tonnes — the key rating of a tug's power.
What is an ASD tug?
An azimuth stern drive tug, with steerable thrusters that give precise thrust in any direction for close-quarters ship handling.