[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Without a doubt , the time when a ship of any size , tonnage or draft is most vulnerable to a very unforgiving marine environment and especially the wrath of the Mississippi River is when it is maneuvering either into or out of an anchorage or birth !
Consequently , to minimize the risk of this situation , we as ship Pilots have come to fully utilize the modern day harbor tug boat to its maximum extent and ability .
With the modern day " Tractor " tug boat coming into play on the river , we have been able to further mitigate this dangerous and vulnerable situation for the different ships that we service , by fully utilizing the " Tractor " tug's acrobatic abilities !
For example , there have been times that we will place a " Tractor " tug , bow to bow with what we refer to as a " Dead Ship " ( a ship that has no steering or engine or both ) and then have the " Tractor " tug maneuver the bow and forward portion of the ship by literally backing the " Tractor " tug's azipods into the desired position and direction that the ship needs to go !
We are now placing these " Tractor " tugs in places and locations on ships , such as a ship's transom , to control and maneuver the ship into almost any direction and position as imaginable !
Having said that , I some times wonder if something is also lost from the standpoint ; do the modern day " Tractor " tugs make the job too easy and do the tug captains that man and operate these same " Tractor " tugs still have the skill and ability to operate the more conventional single screw tugs , when the " Tractor " tugs are not available ??
Food for thought !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141