NEW ORLEANS, LA, June 11, 2020 – E.N. BISSO & SON, INC. of New Orleans, Louisiana is pleased to announce the delivery of the second of two 5,100HP Z-Drive Tugs, the A. THOMAS HIGGINS, a RAL RApport 2400 Z-Drive Ship-Handling Tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd, Vancouver, Canada and built by Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc., Panama City, FL.
This is the sixth modern ship-assist tug Eastern Shipbuilding has built for E.N. BISSO. Starting is 2007, E.N. Bisso took delivery of the JOSEPHINE ANNE, BEVERLY B, ELIZABETH B, ARCHIE T. HIGGINS and the C.D. WHITE. The latter is a sister vessel of the A. THOMAS HIGGINS. She was delivered in January 2020 and is already working in New Orleans.
These two Robert Allan RApport 2400 design tugs have been customized by the designer, the builder, and the owner to provide specific operational features including a high bollard pull forward and aft, enhanced maneuverability, escort performance, better fuel economy, crew comfort, safety under the new USCG Sub-M requirements and reduced emissions meeting the new EPA Tier 4 emissions regulations.