Crowley Maritime Corporation maintains and operates a fleet of about 12 tugboats in Prince William Sound dedicated to escorting tankers and the oil spill response service. The primary vessels of this fleet are the three Prevention and Response Tugs (PRT), which are the bright yellow boats in the gallery and their two Enhanced Tractor Tugs (ETT) that are painted red. The PRTs can generate 10,192 horsepower and pull 300,000 pounds at the bollard, they are driven by two azmuthing propellers. The ETTs generate 10,192 horsepower, pulling some 210, 500 pounds and use a Voith-Schneider cycloidal drive. The rest of the fleet is composed of conventional twin-screw vessels.
Crowley has worked with the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for some 25 years, providing support for the safe transportation of oil through Prince William Sound to markets in the lower states. The following gallery shows a few photos of the Crowley tugs at work: