Ledcor’s Marine Division has awarded the construction of two A.G. McIlwain-designed tugs to Bracewell Marine Group Ltd. The two tugs will be built concurrently at the Bracewell shipyard facility at Shelter Island Marina located on the South Arm of the Fraser River in Richmond, B.C., will be delivered in an 11 month time frame, and will principally be used on the Fraser River to support Ledcor’s 10-year contract with Mainland Sand & Gravel, transporting aggregates on new Ledcor barges from the Mainland facility at Cox to various depots on the Fraser River, beginning in January 2016.
The tug designer, A.G. “Al” McIlwain, has been a designer and integral part of the tug and barge industry in British Columbia and in the U.S. for over 45 years. Al was working on final design drawings for these vessels when he unfortunately passed away in May of this year at the age of 82. His son, Stephen McIlwain, completed the design work and submissions to Transport Canada for regulatory review and approval.
“We feel very fortunate to work with Stephen and the McIlwain family, and to continue the proud tradition of tug building in British Columbia by partnering with Bracewell Marine Group. Ltd.,” said Mark Houghton, Chief Operating Officer of Ledcor’s Marine Division. Ledcor Group of Companies is a diversified industrial and construction company, serving the building, oil & gas, forestry, infrastructure, transportation, mining, power and communications sectors.
Bracewell Marine Group is a family-owned full service marine refit and construction company, consisting of Bracewell Boatworks, a yacht builder and service facility, Seatec Fabricators, a full service machine shop, and Poplar Island Marine, a commercial service and construction company with a history in industrial marine construction.