Availability of Tugs of Opportunity in Canada’s Pacific Region

This study characterizes the potential capability and the availability of commercial tugs engaged in usual trade for use as Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) in Canada’s Pacific Region. These tugs are referred to as “tugs of opportunity” as they are not dedicated to or necessarily intended for rescue efforts. As tug traffic patterns remain relatively consistent from year to year, automatic identification system (AIS) data from 2016 were used to identify the tugs active in Canada’s Pacific Region and represent typical tug activity.

Each tug’s location and route were determined from AIS data, and its capability was established based on its bollard pull (the force a tug can apply when pulling against a fixed object). Tugs were divided into four categories for analysis. The proportion of time tugs in each category are likely to be present was determined by the frequency of travel in 40 x 40 km grid cells on a map and the frequency with which tugs crossed analytical passage lines drawn on the map of the region. Tugs are most commonly found in near-shore waters from Vancouver to Alaska. Tugs of all sizes follow this general pattern of movement, but larger tugs are present in all areas with less frequency.