For those workers, the last-minute finishing touches were the final bits of a yearlong project to build a high-tech machine whose capabilities dwarf those of a classic working tugboat.

Little about the Pacific Star – from its pivoting propulsion system to its hydraulically folding mast and its composite tow line – resembles the kind of boat that most people picture when they imagine a tugboat.

The tug, said Joe Martinac Jr., president of the shipyard on Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway, is propelled by a drive system that allows it to pivot in place in a circle. That system, known as a “Z drive,” uses two propellers whose thrust can be aimed in any direction.

The system eliminates the need for a rudder and allows instant directional changes.

The drives, powered by two 3,305-horsepower MTU diesel engines, are controlled by joysticklike controllers in the pilothouse that allow the captain to pivot them independently and to raise or lower their thrust immediately.

The skipper controls the boat’s systems from two parallel consoles more akin to an aircraft. From the perch at those consoles, the skipper has a panoramic view through 360-degree windows.

A computer screen monitors the ship’s mechanical and electronic systems, from its heating and ventilation apparatus to its fire suppression system.

Martinac originally contracted to build the Pacific Star and a sister ship for Houston’s Signet Marine. Signet had the boats designed to serve a planned liquefied natural gas terminal in the Gulf of Mexico, but that project was delayed.

So Signet leased the two boats to Foss for its ship assist and tanker escort work.

Dave Corrie, who will captain the Pacific Star, said the advent of “tractor tugs” such as the new Foss boat has changed the way tugs handle ships.

The power and maneuverability of the new tugs mean the boats can make almost immediate changes in a ship’s course.

And the folding mast and upward visibility allow the tugs to nestle under a ship’s protruding bow and stern.

At Foss, a four-member crew will work on the boat for 15 days straight.

“We operate these tugs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” he said.

The Pacific Star is equipped with individual staterooms for the captain and the engineer, and four bunks for other workers.

Because the tug was designed for assisting liquefied natural gas tankers, it’s equipped with powerful firefighting pumps and remotely controlled monitors with a system of sprayheads that create a cloud of water around the boat to protect it from heat.

Martinac modified the Signet design to include an anchor at Foss’ request, said Martinac.

Foss often anchors the boat in remote harbors, while Signet intended to always tie up the boat to a dock.

Pacific Star, originally named Signet Stars and Stripes, is one of a series of tugs that a revived Martinac is building. The shipyard, which earned its reputation building huge tuna seiners, was idle for several years when the tuna business went overseas.

The shipyard signed a contract last week with Vancouver’s SeaSpan Marine to build a tug similar to the Pacific Star. Martinac said work should begin on the boat within a few weeks.

And the company has a contract with the U.S. Navy to build four tugs that ultimately will be used at Bremerton’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663

blogs.thenewstribune.com/business

Pacific Star

Builder: J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma

Owner: Signet Maritime, Houston

Operator: Foss Maritime, Seattle

Cost: $12 million

Length: 98 feet

Breadth: 40 feet

Draft: 16 feet

Power: Two 16-cylinder MTU diesels driving two “Z Drive” propulsion systems

Berths: Six

Firefighting output: 12,000 gallons per minute