A high-power tugboat is pushing at the rear of the fleet, while another high-power tugboat pushes on the left or right side of the foremost barge. The tugboat at the front not only enables the fleet to navigate faster but also coordinates with the rear tugboat to adjust the fleet's course.
The reason for not having a tug tow at the front of the fleet is that even with a high-power tug like Linggang Tuo 001, the fleet's upstream speed wouldn't exceed 6 kilometers per hour.
In comparison, pushing is more efficient.
As long as there are two high-power tugboats pushing, the planned 25,000-ton fleet can achieve an upstream speed of 10 to 12 kilometers per hour, increasing the speed by forty percent.
The total voyage from Sanhe to Jingzhou is about 1550 kilometers, and only by forming a pushing fleet can both the logistics and transport fleets arrive within five to six days.
