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The Norwegian-flagged Island Victory has been sitting squarely at the top of the “tugboat power charts” since it was delivered in February 2020. The world’s biggest tug epitomizes what we mean when we say these ships are the Swiss army knives of the sea. The Island Victory is officially designated as a “multipurpose offshore vessel.”  Essentially, this means that it is capable of performing far more than just shuffling larger ships around confined waters. The ship is designed to lift massive anchors and chains with an onboard crane that’s capable of lifting 250 tons. It can also act as an operating base for remotely operated vehicles, and perform deep-water installation tasks. It also features a helipad and has accommodation for 110 personnel. 

However, for the purposes of this article, it’s the ship’s massive power that we’re really interested in. The 405-foot-long Island Victory achieves its phenomenal bollard pull rating thanks in no small part to its powerful engines. The ship is fitted with Rolls-Royce Bergen engines that give the Island Victory a total power of 42,880 horsepower. The two main engines are RR Bergen B32s that deliver the power through a pair of controllable pitch propellers (CPPs).  As well as these main engines, the ship also features four smaller RR Bergen C25 engines and two pairs of thrusters at the bow and stern of the tug. 

Such powerful propulsion systems are one reason that even a single “average” tug can tow a vessel like an aircraft carrier.

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Before the Island Victory claimed the top spot, the holder of the crown of the most powerful tugboat on Earth was the Far Samson. However, despite being dethroned as the top tug, it still remains an engineering heavyweight. Built for Solstad Marine, the ship is another that’s more than “just” a tugboat. Delivered in 2009, it was designed as an anchor-handling and offshore construction ship, and for the first eleven years of its life, it was the most powerful tug on earth. During trials supervised by the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) — a Norwegian-based classification society — a bollard pull of 423 tonnes was recorded, a world record for the time, and still one of the highest ever verified. 

At just shy of 400 feet long, the Far Samson isn’t as large as the Island Victory, but it can still accommodate a total personnel of about 100 people. The ship was designed by Rolls-Royce, so it’s no surprise to find out that it’s Rolls-Royce Bergen engines that are responsible for supplying the phenomenal power.  With its two RR Bergen B32 engines, it can produce 35,900 horsepower through its two main propellers. That output is backed up by a suite of thrusters, including two tunnel thrusters, a single combi-thruster, and two azimuth thrusters. The ship was so notable that it was awarded “Ship of the Year” in the year of its launch.

Finally, the Far Samson also represented an environmental progression with its Rolls-Royce powerplants reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 95%. 

Initially built in 2011, the Boka Falcon was delivered to its current owners, the Dutch company Boskalis, in 2019. It’s another ship in the list to break the “400-ton” bollard pull threshold. It might be more compact than the previous two on the list, but it can hardly be called diminutive in terms of either size or sheer muscle power. The Falcon has an overall length of 306 feet, and is officially classified as a ‘Multipurpose offshore construction vessel’. 

While there are several reasons tugs are as strong as they are, much of it comes down to sheer brute power.  The ship’s propulsion system consists of two MAK 16M32C engines that provide a total of 21,456 horsepower. Two 3,000-kilowatt booster motors help to bring the tugboat’s total power to an impressive 29,502 horsepower. It also features a large open working deck designed to handle heavy offshore equipment during subsea construction projects. And again, this is a ship that explores the fine line that determines what makes a tug a tug. Among the roles the Boka Falcon can fulfill are anchor handling, firefighting, construction support, and trenching. 

As well as standard ‘tug equipment’ like a tugger and mooring winch, the Falcon also has a 150-ton subsea crane and carries two heavy work-class ROVs capable of working in depths of 3,000 meters. This is also another vessel that can accommodate a large number of personnel with a range of cabin configurations, giving it a capacity for up to 100 people. 

In fourth place, we have the Boka Fulmar — or Lewek Fulmar as it was previously known — the last ship on the list to break the 400-tonne bollard pull threshold with an impressive 402 tonnes. The Fulmar is another ship owned and operated by Boskalis and was added to the fleet in 2019; subsequently, the “Lewek” part of the name was replaced with Boka. This is the sister vessel of the aforementioned Boka Falcon, and as such, its performance, dimensions, and equipment are all very similar. As a mere one ton difference in the two ships’ bollard pull rating testifies to. 

In fact, the powertrain driving both ships is identical, with the Fulmar also featuring twin MAK 16M32C engines and two 4,023-horsepower booster motors. Unsurprisingly, given the ships’ shared heritage, the Fulmar was also built in the same Drydocks World, Singapore shipbuilding yard as the Falcon, and was also launched in 2011. 

According to Boskalis, the Fulmar is classified as an ‘Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel (AHTS)’ and a multipurpose DP2 construction vessel — DP2 means the ship is classified as having dynamic positioning with enhanced redundancy. In this instance, the Fumar is fitted with Rolls-Royce Icon class II dynamic positioning systems. However, this is one area where the Fulmar equipment differs from its sister ship.  Rather than Rolls-Royce systems, the Boka Falcon uses class II Kongsberg K-POS 21 and K-Master systems. 

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The last on our list is also the first one with a bollard pull that dips below the 400 ton mark — but only just. With a still mightily impressive bollard pull rating of 397 tons, the Aurora Saltfjord can hardly be called a lightweight. It’s also another ship that dates from the year 2011, which turned out to be somewhat of a vintage year for powerful tugboats. 

The Saltfjord is also classified as an AHTS ship and is powered by a hybrid propulsion system that can be operated in diesel-electric, diesel-mechanic, or hybrid modes. At the heart of this powertrain are two Wartsila Wichmann 16v32 engines producing 7,680 KW (about 13,000 hp) each for a total of 26,000 hp. For maneuvrability, it has a total of seven thrusters, four at the bow of the ship and three at the aft. 

When it comes to dimensions, the Saltfjord is slightly longer than the two Boka ships. It’s 312 feet long with a breadth of 79 feet (as compared to 306 feet and 72 feet) and a deck area of 8,073 square feet. As is standard with these vessels, the Aurora Saltfjord is more than just a tug. It can be configured as an anchor handler, supply and service vessel, as well as carrying out deepwater ploughing and trenching. 

The maximum of 70 personnel the ship can accommodate have access to a gymnasium, lounges with satellite TV and home cinema surround systems, and conference rooms. Not facilities you’re likely to find on a Boomin’ Beaver.