Case Study: Catherwood Towing achieves a cost-effective tug repower with Cummins KTA38 engines

Catherwood Towing - Customer Case Study

Catherwood Towing, a Fraser River-based towing company with a 14-boat fleet, needed to expand into larger barge and freight work and found an opportunity to add a 74-foot tug, the DD Catherwood. The vessel’s original engines were worn out, so the customer was looking for a cost-effective repower solution that would let the tug handle its new contracts efficiently. Cummins supplied the marine engine platform for the repower, with KTA38 engines selected for the project.

Cummins and Catherwood Towing, working with TCB Marine Consulting and Arrow Marine terminals, repowered the tug using a side-hull engine installation method that cut the engine swap cost roughly in half versus removing engines through the aft-deck hatch. The tug received twin Cummins KTA38 engines, new 50 kW gensets, electronics upgrades, alarm sensors, winch and piping rebuilds, and the vessel retained its existing gears and 84-inch propellers. The result was a larger, more capable DD Catherwood set up for reliable just-in-time freight delivery, with significant labor savings and a more spacious engine room.

Catherwood Towing

Ernie Catherwood

Owner