W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 33
Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine
P H OTO E S S AY
The view through the Nancy McAllister's porthole of
the Andrew McAllister docking a ship at a terminal
in the harbor. One tugboat is at the stern of a ship
and another at the bow pushing and pulling the ship
with attached ropes. The Nancy McAllister was built
in 1984 and is one of four tugboats in the fleet.
Capt. Brian Fournier, president of Portland Tugboat LLC and a docking pilot,
finishes his coffee on the Andrew McAllister before heading out near Portland
Head Light where he will climb a wood ladder hanging on the side of an oil
tanker, take over for the sea pilot and guide the ship into Portland Harbor.
Capt. Sarah Kaplan pushes on a ship with the Andrew McAllister at an oil terminal in Portland
Harbor. Kaplan receives commands from the docking pilot over a VHF radio and responds
with peep whistles. Her hands rest on drive controls which can rotate each of the two
props independently as well as their RPMs. Kaplan uses her right foot to operate the winch
control pedal, which is used for paying in and out on the headline. Kaplan, a 2008 Maine
Maritime Academy graduate and originally from Woolwich, has been with Portland Tugboat
for 4 years and worked along the West Coast moving barges before moving back to Maine.
A grappling hook fastened to an oil tanker holds
a wooden pilot ladder out of the way as a tug
assists the vessel. Docking pilots use the ladder
to get to and from the tugboat to the tanker.
A fender on the side of the Nancy McAllister.
Fenders are made from the sidewalls of recycled
tire trucks and provide cushion between the
tugboat and the ship the tug is assisting.
