Tugboats: The Hardest Working Work Boat There Is

Small work boats can usually be seen in the many harbors of the world, docking and undocking ships. These are more commonly known as tugboats and their job basically goes like this: The boat's captain moves the vessel alongside a ship, and then the tugboat's crew sends a large line to the ship, which is fastened onto the ship by its crew. Once all the lines are securely attached and everything is set, a docking pilot will direct instructions over the radio to the tug captain who will then maneuver the ship into or out of her berth.

The equipment one can find on a tugboat usually consists of the following: a stout line of about four inches in diameter, a small messenger line to haul the heavy line onto the ship's deck, and an even smaller heaving line to get the messenger line on board the ship. Once the stout line is up and both ends are fastened, the crews of both ships stand back while the captain and the docking pilot do their job.

The work of a tugboat remains the same wherever it may be. It gets to the job, puts up a line, and moves around until the larger boat is in the desired position. Once that's done, the tugboat crew brings the lines in, straightens them up, and prepares for the next vessel that needs maneuvering assistance.

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Brief Discussion on the History of Tugboats

In the late 1700s to the early 1800s, the development of the steam engine reached its peak, and it was integrated as the new source of power for riverboats. The first tugboat, however, was not made until 1802, when William Symington of Scotland equipped his paddlewheel boat with his patented steam engine. Unfortunately, Symington's boat was banned by canal proprietors after only 6 hours into its maiden trip for fear that it would erode the canal banks with its paddlewheel.

A few years after engineer Robert Fulton brought the steamboat to America, its potential for towing was quickly realized. Thus, a steamboat was specially built for towing sailing ships into the New York harbor. In just ten years after this, the towing industry grew in ports around the world, and the competition for tugboat services became fierce.

It was the diesel engine that forever changed the life of the tugboat. Aside from the fact that it is lighter and much simpler to run, the engine also needs less people to operate. Eventually, further tugboat innovations and demand was created due to the start of World War I and World War II. Today, you can still see tugboats in all their glory, towing in and out of ports everything from cargo ships to aircraft carriers.

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Things You Need to Do to Start a Tugboat Business

Tugboats are highly valued in the shipping and port industry as among their many functions is to assist larger ships and help them navigate their way in and out of harbors and ports. They also haul vessels that have lost power in the middle of the sea. Lastly, tugboats also play a role in construction work on or nearby a body of water by maneuvering vessels that carry construction materials.

Critical as they are to the shipping and port industry, the demand for tugboats is ever-growing. Entrepreneurs who are looking into business opportunities can consider starting a tugboat business . The first thing he must do is check for reputable boat builders and do a thorough research on those companies. He should also find out if they can customize a tugboat according to the business' specific needs.

As with any business, checking out the competition is an important step, too, but one must do this with caution. Otherwise, he may be branded as someone who is unscrupulously fishing for trade secrets from competitors. Of course, one can't have sufficient information about the business by merely searching for it online. He must also get in touch with other tugboat owners (those who are outside of his area, of course, so he won't be competing with them) and ask them what their experience is like running a tugboat business; doing so will give him a clear idea of what to expect.

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How to Start a Tugboat Business

Tugboats make it possible to maneuver larger vessels in and out of ports, as well as bring home disabled vessels from larger bodies of water. Without tugboats, it would be impossible for large vessels to navigate shallow waters closer to shore. Tugboats therefore play an important role in the cruise ship as well as import and export industries.

If you're thinking of starting your own tugboat business, then you might want to consider buying an established business. This way, you'll have a tried and tested business model that has all the essential best practices and client base laid out for you. Before you enter such a business venture, however, see to it that you're dealing with a reputable company; after all, you wouldn't want to inherit angry clients and a dubious reputation now, would you?

After purchasing the necessary equipment and processing all the required documentation, your next task will be to hire skilled personnel. Make sure that your tugboat staff all have the proper licenses to operate a tugboat. Since your staff is also an extension of your business, you'll want to make sure they abide by your company core values and operating principles.

Finally, you can also consult tugboat operators from different areas so you can obtain some much-needed sage advice. Once you've got everything planned out, you can then proceed to acquiring the required capital. Crack a bottle on your maiden voyage for good luck. Bon voyage!

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