The formerly retired Polar King is back on the water thanks to the hard work of the Alaska Marine Lines team and many others throughout the Lynden companies. The 50-year-old tugboat was completely overhauled earlier this year and is now back in the fleet and will be towing barges between Seattle, Hawaii, and Western Alaska ports. The 120- by 34-foot tug was built in 1974 at McDermott Shipyard, one of eight built that year. Four of those vessels ended up towing barges at AML. After many years of service, three of the four tugs were retired, and the Polar King was selected to receive a major overhaul.
The project took approximately 16 months from the initial teardown to the Seattle sea trials, according to AML Port Engineer Kris Mullan. "The tug was stripped down to the bare hull and then rebuilt," he explains. All new equipment was installed, and the main engines and reduction gears were rebuilt. The Polar King now has an updated hydraulic system, valves, piping, electronics, wheelhouse, winches and other internal components. The tug engines may be removed and installed from the top of the deck (see photo above), a new and beneficial redesign feature.
At one point, 60 people, including multiple vendors, were working six days a week. The success of the project depended on support from many people and departments throughout the Lynden family of companies.
The AML Marine Maintenance team really stepped up to cover during the project making sure the barge maintenance ran smoothly and on time as usual. "Jeannette Doyle, Kent Connelly, Gurhan Civan, and PJ Baldwin dedicated quite a bit of their time to this project as well, which helped out tremendously," Kris says. In addition, "Alaska West Express drivers loaded and transported the main tug engines and delivered them at the dry dock for the project, handling the challenging delivery like they did it every day."
Kris also acknowledged the contributions of Western Towboat. "We are so lucky to work with them. With their knowledge and years of experience, they helped guide and support us for the critical components of the rehab. This project was a group effort. We are all proud of the finished product – a simplified tug that is safe and easy to operate. The Polar King will have many decades of useful service ahead."
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