El Jaguar in Halifax

1. The way comes off the barge as El Jaguar slows at the Middle Ground area. The harbour tug Atlantic Oak will soon join the pair to assist into pier 25-26.

2. Quietly alongside, El Jaguar displays its classic lines.

3. Marmac 400 has a full deck load, but is not heavily laden.

4. El Jaguar Grande was getting a refit at Quality Shipyard in Houma, LA on April 19, 1996. Note the port anchor hawsepipe, which has since been removed.

The US tug El Jaguar arrived this morning with the barge Marmac 400 in tow. The barge is carrying another load of metal fabrications for the Long Harbour nickel smelter in Newfoundland. At 5,805 gross registered tons, the barge was built in 2001.

The tug was built in 1976 by Burton Construction & Shipbuilding in Port Arthur, TX as El Jaguar Grande for Twenty Grand Offshore. It is powered by two 16 cylinder GM EMDs totalling 3900 bhp. Now owned by Oregon Sealark LLC it is part of the Brusco fleet which has the contract to transport these components from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland.

The tow experienced fierce headwinds on its trip north, and will likely take bunkers while in Halifax. Normally the tug would take bunkers at Argentia outbound from Long Harbour. McKeil Marine are agents.

This is the third of the Brusco tugs to call in Halifax this season.

See: Gulf Cajun, Febvruary 17 and 21.

See: Richard Brusco, February 24.

Another member of the fleet, Mary Brusco, has by passed Halifax.

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Richard Brusco and Chicago Bridge

1. Richard Brusco at pier 27. Note the heavy fenders mounted on the deck house rail. This is a feature of some US Navy tugs, and allows for working under the extreme flare of ships' bows and sterns.

Another US tug and barge arrived in port to wait out weather. Richard Brusco put in yesterday afternoon in dense fog and tied up at pier 27. As with its fleet mate earlier in the week, it is towing a deck barge with piping modules for the nickel refinery project in Long Harbour, NF.

Richard Brusco was built in 1966 by San Diego Maritime Construction and is rated at 4,300 bhp. It carried the name Mercury to 2001. The barge is Chicago Bridge 5,860 gross tons, built in 1997.

This tug and barge combo have been running steadily from Texas to Long Harbour since spring. They were reported in Long Harbour in early May, bunkering in Argentia before heading south again.

The tug is operated by Gulf Atlantic Towing of Lafayette, LA and the barge is owned by Trailer Bridge Inc of Jacksonville, FL.

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