Bisso Towboat Christens Tractor Tug Mr. Brian

Bisso Towboat Co., Inc. officially christened the M/V Mr. Brian on December 5, 2024, on the Mississippi River while docked at Woldenburg Riverfront Park at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.

The Mr. Brian is a 100’ x 38’ x 13.5’ ASD Tractor Tugboat and was officially christened with a bottle breaking at 5:00 pm followed by a reception at the Audubon Aquarium - River Terrace Room.

The Mr. Brian is named after Brian Cyprowski, who is the Bisso Towboat Vice President of Operations and a member of the company's executive team.  Brian has been with the company for 37 years.  With the addition of the Mr. Brian, Bisso Towboat Co., Inc. is the only ship-assist company on the River with a daily operating fleet of 100% ASD Tractor Tugs.  The christening was officiated by Captain Will Atkinson.  Following spoken remarks, Brian shattered a bottle of champagne over the side rail of the vessel. 

When referring to Brian Cyprowski, Bisso Towboat Company President, Scott Slatten commented that “He and I have been through the wars together and he has stood by this company throughout. I probably should have named a boat for him a long time ago.” 

The newest member of the Bisso fleet is introduced as the 10th ASD Tractor Tug and features 5,000 Brake Horesepower (BHP), which is powered by two Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main engines, generating 2500 BHP each at 1600 RPM, which drive two Kongsberg US205S Z-Drives. The Z-Drives feature 2400MM diameter four-blade stainless steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles. The estimated Bollard Pull is 68 Tons.  Electrical service is provided by (2) 118 Kw Caterpillar generators powered by (2) Caterpillar C4.4 engines. The tug is equipped with a JonRie Series 240 Escort Winch featuring 500’ of 2 3/4” diameter Saturn 12 line.  The tug also features a low emission system 

The Mr. Brian was built by Main Iron Works, which was recognized at the event with attendees, Lloyd Guidry and Ashraf Degedy who were lauded by Bisso Towboat, President Scott Slatten, as "the best tugboat builders in the United States, which makes them the best in the world."

Two Bisso Towboat captains were also honored at the event for their longstanding service to the company and pending retirements.  The first, Captain Tommy Cooper, will retire after 43 years of service to the company and it was noted that Tommy was the first mate of the Cecilia B. Slatten, which was the first ASD Tractor Tug on the Mississippi River. Captain Mike Hilton will also retire after 44 years of service early next year.  He was one of two captains of the first ASD Tractor Tug, the Cecilia B. Slatten, which is still an active tug and part of the Bisso Towing fleet of 10 tractor tugs on the Mississippi River.

Other features of the newest tug include USCG-approved engine room monitoring and fire/smoke alarm systems, fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system, Simrad navigation/electronics, soundproof insulation throughout engine room/crew quarters, stainless steel bitts and bow staple and four bunk rooms with seven berths.

Tankage includes capacities for 30,162 gallons of diesel, 11,000 gallons of potable water, 1,825 gallons each of lube and hydraulic oil and 2,000 gallons of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).

The Mr. Brian will have a crew complement of four and carries an ABS International Load Line in addition to being built to Subchapter M certification and receiving a USCG COI.

Bisso Towboat documented the building process of the Mr. Brian, which is located on the company website at https://www.bissotowing.com/asd-build.