Tiny and tough, tugboats are the shipping industry’s undisputed dynamos
Story by Mona de Crinis
Photographs by Daniel Sullivan
A mere 200 feet separates the tugboat from a lumbering barge laden with Maui-bound cargo. The unlikely duo — David with Goliath in tow — bob and weave as they battle a February swell rolling into Kahului Harbor.
Dredged up to 40 feet down into the naturally formed Kahului Bay, the man-made commercial harbor poses navigational challenges even when seas are calm. Ships with limited turn areas depend on tugs to arrive safely and dock efficiently.
Here, along the island’s exposed northern coast, waters rage at winter’s touch. Maritime operators must adjust accordingly or risk losing a vessel, load or both. Pulling incoming ships to shore is the tug’s towing wire — a massive cable two and a quarter inch thick — groans and rattles, straining against the pins that secure it to the towing bridle, the barge rising from behind like a tethered tsunami.
Within a few miles of the harbor entrance, the tug captain slows to 6 knots, and the first mate shortens the towline to avoid snagging a wall of coral that flanks the eastern edge. In a salty dance that is both meticulously choreographed and wildly improvisational, the odd couple snake through the tight opening and shimmy to the pier with the help of a rear assist tug.
Young Brothers Maui Port Manager John Lucas (from left), Director of Terminal Operations Nalani Say, Director of Marine Operations Megan Rycraft, Freight Operations Manager Radford Park and Communication & Corporate Affairs’ Jennifer Lim help keep supplies coming. An aerial close-up (opposite page) illustrates in detail the synergy between tug and barge.
The barge coaxed into position, the first mate releases the towing winch, the loading dock crew readies, and the towing tug preps for the next haul.
Much like the Hawaiian carpenter ant can wrangle a kukui nut 10 times its size, Young Brothers tugs strongarm a vessel three times as big. These 123-by-36.5-foot workhorses guide barges from the main supply hub in Honolulu to neighbor-island ports on Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and both sides of the Big Island, while ensuring safe passage in and out of local harbors. They also provide escort services through congested or restricted areas, help larger vessels maintain course and speed, rescue disabled ships, and assist in berthing and unberthing of freight haulers.
In Kahului Harbor, Young Brothers tugs and barges facilitate the transport of goods to and from Maui, sailing alongside other mariners who frequent the harbor such as cargo and cruise ships, refrigerated barges, freight haulers and freight-hauling equipment.
The company prides itself on speed and keeps records to prove it. Back in 1931, Bob Purdy, namesake of the Young Brothers’ Kapena Bob Purdy tug, towed two massive steel barges capable of carrying 32,000 boxes of fresh pineapples from the San Francisco Bay Area to Honolulu in 10 days and 15 hours.
The tugs take in 40,000 gallons of diesel — enough to fill a two-car garage — at every fueling, with an overall capacity of 90,000. “You know those big oil tankers you see on the road? That’s 10 of those tankers’ worth
of gas under us,” calculated Chris Kojima, current captain of the Kapena Bob Purdy, which calls Kahului its home port.
Kojima isn’t complaining. With increased speed and towing capacity, the Kapena class shaves minutes off the roughly 30 hours it takes to tow a weighted cargo barge from Honolulu to Hilo — the longest regularly scheduled stretch.
Young Brothers’ $80 million investment in the state-of-the-art Kapena reflects an ongoing commitment to safe, frequent, reliable and affordable transport service for the people of Maui and beyond, notes Megan Rycraft, director of marine operations. “Captained and crewed by our highly trained and experienced team members, these vessels help us move what matters most efficiently and sustainably,” she said.
As a Young Brothers tug captain, Kojima has made the journey from Oahu to Maui countless times and confirmed without hesitation the navigational challenges of Kahului Harbor. Go too fast or too slow, and the barge could “surf” and overtake you.
Such dangers don’t faze Kojima.
“I’ve always wanted to be on the water, not in some nine-to-five office job,” Kojima said. “I can be a sailor and still be super dad at the soccer field while other parents are on their phones and laptops.”
When the seas are calm, the seven-person crew relaxes in the Kapena tug. The tug is fitted with six rooms. Only the cook and able-bodied seaman — the lowest ranking crewmember — share a room. The other crew members have private berths. In these well-appointed floating domiciles, the only things missing are spouse and family.
All the comforts of home and none of the responsibility makes for a pretty sweet setup, joked Kapena Bob Purdy First Mate Kalani Low. “If you don’t believe me, just ask my second ex-wife.”
