When operations move far north, every design decision matters.
For Centurion Foundation Inc., Navanex designed the HOLLYANN, a small, road-transportable harbor tug. This small tug was conceived to support dredging operations in northern Canada. It was a practical project, designed to meet the realities of the terrain and the logistical constraints of remote regions.
A compact tugboat, designed to take to the road towards construction sites…
Navanex’s mandate for Centurion Foundation Inc. was to design and manufacture the small tugboat HOLLYANN, with a key requirement: the ability to be transported by road. The result: a compact, robust vessel, optimized for efficient production, in collaboration with the Forillon Shipyard.
Challenges and solutions: optimizing an existing database, accelerating deployment to production
In this project, the goal wasn’t to reinvent for the sake of reinvention. The objective was to improve all aspects of a previous implementation by conducting a thorough and rapid review to support a smooth and efficient production rollout.
Specifically, Navanex worked on:
- Optimizing the design according to the needs of Centurion Foundation Inc.
- A manufacturing -oriented approach (site-ready design);
- Effective coordination with partners to trigger manufacturing quickly while continuing to improve the design of the small tugboat HOLLYANN.
The distinctive feature: a demountable cabin, designed for the road
What particularly distinguishes this small tugboat is its removable cabin. This feature allows the vessel to be transported on a single flatbed truck, with the hull separate from the cabin, thus enabling faster deployments to remote locations accessible by road. For operations requiring agility and mobility, this design choice reduces logistical constraints and accelerates response time.
Technical specifications of the tugboat (key figures)
Here are the main specifications of the small tugboat HOLLYANN:
- Recorded length: 12.3 m (40′ 4”)
- Width: 3.65 m (12′)
- Depth: 1.89 m (6′ 2”)
- Draft: 1.22 m (4′)
- Gross tonnage: 13.58 tonnes
- Travel class: Near the coast, class 2 (to be confirmed with Transport Canada)
- Ice class (optional)
- Propulsion: 2 x Cummins QSL9, 330 HP @ 1800 RPM
This improved model also enhances the Navanex range of small tugs under 15 tons, a strategic segment for several port and maritime operations in Canada.
A collaborative approach to construction projects focused on efficiency
The project was carried out in partnership with Chantier Naval Forillon, with coordination aimed at ensuring seamless integration between design and manufacturing. This approach, focused on efficiency and rapid production, allows for quick progress while continuously improving the design where relevant, in order to deliver a vessel that meets the client’s expectations and is adapted to its operational context.
Partners involved:
- Forillon Shipyard
- Jean-Nil P. Morissette (revision of mechanical engineering)
- Pierre-Émile Côté (site project manager)
Navanex team mobilized
- Hubert Simard – Naval Engineer
- Christophe Egger – Technical Supervisor
- Charles Vézina and Amine Ali – Naval Architecture Technicians
- Mathieu Trudeau – Naval Designer
A tugboat that meets a real need
Ultimately, the HOLLYANN was conceived as a working tool: easy to deploy, capable of supporting demanding operations, and designed to be manufactured without gray areas. For Centurion Foundation Inc., it is a structuring project that supports concrete maritime activities, in a context where versatility, safety, and logistics are integral to performance.
Do you have a tugboat or work vessel project?
At Navanex, we design ships that are designed to operate, not just to look good on paper: production-oriented design, optimization, performance, safety and compliance.
If you are planning a tugboat, a work vessel, or an upgrade to better meet your field constraints, let’s talk.
FAQ
Why choose a custom-built harbor tugboat?
A custom-built tugboat allows you to optimize maneuverability, propulsion, ergonomics and logistics according to your actual operations (port, dredging, assistance, remote areas, etc.).
What is the advantage of a demountable cabin?
A demountable cabin makes road transport possible, reduces certain size constraints, and facilitates rapid interventions in remote areas accessible by truck.
Is it possible to operate in the ice with a small tugboat?
Yes, it is possible to operate in ice with a small tugboat, but only under very specific conditions. In practice, everything depends on the ice depth, the vessel’s design, and the type of operations planned. Even for a small tugboat, certain factors are crucial:
- Reinforced hull (at least for winter conditions);
- Protected propellers (tunnels, grids);
- Robust rudder;
- Water inlets designed to prevent obstruction by ice.
Without these features, ice operations become high-risk. Of course, these elements can be integrated into the design as needed.