en.Wedoany.com Reported - On April 2026, C&C Marine and Repair in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, USA, held a keel-laying ceremony at its Belle Chasse shipyard, marking the official commencement of construction for four advanced hybrid escort tugs for Green Tug Towing. These tugs will support Australia's Woodside Energy in its Louisiana LNG terminal operations in Calcasieu Parish, serving the berthing and escorting operations of LNG carriers.
The keel-laying ceremony brought together representatives from various stakeholders, including Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois, Woodside Executive Vice President and International Chief Operating Officer Daniel Kalms, Green Tug Towing President Thomas Springer, and C&C Marine and Repair President and Owner Tony Sibilich. To commemorate the occasion, Governor Landry welded four specially minted doubloon coins into the keel, each representing one of the four project partners: C&C Marine and Repair, the State of Louisiana, Woodside Energy, and Green Tug Towing. The ancient maritime tradition of welding coins into a vessel's keel symbolizes good luck for the ship and safety for its crew.
Tony Sibilich, President and Owner of C&C Marine and Repair, said, "This ceremony is a proud moment for our shipyard and everyone involved in this project. This project is not just a contract; it is a commitment to our employees, our community, and our future. Building these vessels will provide stable work for over 100 employees for nearly two years."
The four tugs will be built to the RApport 2800H design by Canada's Robert Allan Ltd., equipped with advanced diesel-electric hybrid propulsion systems that can reduce fuel consumption and emissions during standby, port transfers, and low-speed maneuvering. This design was specifically developed to meet the safety, maneuverability, and environmental requirements of modern LNG terminal operations, featuring the high-performance indirect steering force and mooring line pull capacity needed to handle the world's largest LNG carriers.
Green Tug Towing, a joint venture between Seattle's Saltchuk Marine and Lake Charles, Louisiana's Harbor Docking & Towing, holds a 20-year service contract with Woodside to provide berthing, unberthing, escorting, standby, and emergency response services for LNG carriers. This series of tugs joins another set of four hybrid tugs currently under construction at C&C, bringing the total number of tugs under construction at the shipyard to eight. Together, the two projects support Woodside and its contractors' commitment of over $1 billion to Louisiana suppliers. The tugs are scheduled for delivery in 2028 to support Woodside's Louisiana LNG project's goal of achieving first LNG production in 2029.
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