Port Manatee Hooks Up With New Tugboat

PALMETTO -- At Thursday's Port Authority meeting, Norman Atkins, owner of Marine Towing of Tampa, gave a presentation on "Patriot," the newest addition to his tug-boat fleet.

Atkins has been in the tugboat business since 1999, and by doing so, broke up the decades-long monopoly his competition had on the Port of Tampa.

His company now has four tug-boats that service Tampa Bay, the newest named "Patriot," a $9 million workhorse. 

Patriot was built in East Booth Bay, Maine, runs on two 16-cylinder, 5,000 horsepower engines and is the state of the art in tugboat technology.

Atkins says he is looking forward to servicing and working with Port Manatee. His 24/7 dispatch staff for ship assistance catches the first communication by radio when ships are hours away from entering Tampa Bay.