Case Study: Rodriguez Ship Building achieves shallow-draft tug performance with Cummins marine engines

Rodriguez Boat Builders - Customer Case Study

Rodriguez Ship Building, a Bayou LaBatre, Alabama shipyard known for delivering shallow-draft tugs, needed a propulsion package that could power a new 75-by-28-foot bow tug while still allowing operation in very shallow water. To meet that challenge, the yard turned to Cummins and its marine engine lineup, specifically three 660-HP six-cylinder QSK19 engines for the Sea Cypress.

Cummins provided the EPA Tier 3 compliant QSK19 engines, paired with Twin Disc MGX5222 gears, giving the tug nearly 2,000 total horsepower in a triple-screw configuration. The result was a vessel with a shallow 10-foot molded depth that can operate in as little as 8 feet of water, while also adding improved performance over its predecessor and supporting towing, pushing, and anchor-handling duties.

Rodriguez Ship Building