Vane Brothers, a premier Jones Act marine transportation provider, took delivery this month of the third in a series of four 3,000-horsepower push tugs. Named the Rock Hall, Vane’s newest addition is the nineteenth Maryland-built towing vessel to join the Baltimore-based company’s fleet since 2008.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects of Salisbury, Maryland has delivered sixteen 3,000-horsepower, model bow tugs and three 3,000-horsepower square-bow push boats. Two of the Rock Hall’s sister tugs, the Salisbury and the Annapolis, were delivered in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The molded depth of these push tugs is only 10.5 feet, making them well suited for working in confined, shallow-draft areas along the U.S. East Coast’s inland waterways.

While providing exceptional crew comfort, reliability and operational efficiency, all three Salisbury Class push tugs have also been constructed in compliance with federally mandated, U.S Coast Guard-enforced Subchapter M safety standards.

According to Vane Brothers President C. Duff Hughes, “Vane Brothers has once again taken delivery of a vessel constructed to the highest standards demanded by our customers. Powerful, practical and purpose-built to maximize maneuverability where it is needed most, the Rock Hall is another exciting addition to the Vane fleet.”

One more 3,000-horsepower Salisbury Class push boat, the Charles Hughes, is scheduled for delivery from Chesapeake Shipbuilding and Naval Architects later this year.

To create the Salisbury Class design, Chesapeake Naval Architect John Womack worked in close collaboration with Vane Brothers Port Captain Jim Demske, who has overseen construction of nearly 50 tugboats for Vane over the last two decades.

The tug Rock Hall is named for a waterfront town located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The town is known as “The Pearl of the Chesapeake.”