''Atlantic Oak'' is a

tug boat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, such ...

based out of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. The boat is owned by

Atlantic Towing Limited J. D. Irving Limited (JDI) is a privately owned conglomerate company headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It is a part of the Irving Group of Companies and consists of various subsidiaries such as Irving Tissue, Irving Equipme ...

, which is owned by Irving Shipbuilding. ''Atlantic Oak'' was built by East Isle Shipyard Ltd. in

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

and was commissioned in 2004. One of the boat's duties in the Harbour is to assist in launches at the

Halifax Shipyard The Halifax Shipyard Limited is a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Founded in 1889, it is today a wholly owned subsidiary of Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and is that company's largest ship construction and repair facil ...

. The boat guides many tankers and bulk freighters along with other large ships into port.

General characteristics

''Atlantic Oak'' is a Z-drive class, with two Aquamaster US 225, Twin screw

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

built to a design first used for the tug ''Atlantic Spruce''. The boat has two Caterpillar 3516 HD engines with a top speed of 13 Knots. The boat carries on-board firefighting equipment and has an 80 tonne deck capacity. The boat is long, wide and draws 5.24 .

Notable events

In 2008 the dredging barge ''Shovel Master'' capsized after experiencing rough seas while being towed by '' Atlantic Larch'' from Saint John to Halifax for a refit. The crew were rescued by a CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter shortly before the barge capsized near Yarmouth. ''Atlantic Oak'' towed the capsized, but still floating barge, for only 150m before it sank, spilling thousands of gallons of diesel fuel, hydraulic fluid and

waste oil Waste oil is defined as any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that, through contamination, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of impurities or loss of original properties. Differentiating between "waste oil" and "us ...

. On Jan 15th, 2013 the boat was seen guiding the damaged HMCS ''Athabaskan'' into dock at the NC jetty in Halifax.

References

{{Shipbuilding in Atlantic Canada , state=expanded Tugboats of Canada 2004 ships Ships built in Prince Edward Island