OUR SERVICES

SHIP ASSIST

When a large ship is piloted or guided into harbor or port with the assistance of a tugboat, it is known as a ship assist. Ship assists are a vital part of maritime commerce, and they are offered at most major harbors, since large ships would be unable to dock without support.

TETHERED ESCORTS

Tethered Escorts are performed by one of McAllister Towings specialized tugs, connected by a towline (tethered) to the vessel's “strongpoint” aft. The purpose of the tug in this mode is to provide additional maneuvering capabilities to the vessel as well as arresting the vessel's speed in narrow or short channels, where the vessel's main system of propulsion might not be sufficient for safe maneuvering.

DEAD SHIP TOWING

On occasion, a ship will need to be towed into a harbor to a berth, or from a berth, outbound of the harbor. A dead ship tow consists of the vessel doing the towing(tugboat) and the dead ship(without power). This is usually accomplished by towing astern using a chain/bridle system being made up to the vessel's towing gear.

DRY DOCKING

In dry docking, a ship is removed from the water to enable work to be performed on the exterior part of the ship below the waterline. Ships are constructed on dry docks. In launching, the new or repaired ship is either floated in place or slid from its berth, usually with the assistance of tugboats and a Docking Pilot.