While cars may have large tow trucks to lug them around if they break down on the road, ships have tugboats. Unlike tow trucks, though, tugboats are comparatively smaller than the ships they tow. Tugs go to show that size doesn’t matter since they are powerful enough to haul large disabled ships, barges, and even oil platforms.
There are three types of tug boats: ocean or seagoing tugboats, river tugboats, and harbor tugboats. Ocean or seagoing tugs, as their name suggests, are used in the ocean and thus are especially made more durable so they can handle the occasionally difficult conditions of the waters. River tugboats are much like seagoing tugs, only they’re designed to be used in freshwater.
On the other hand, harbor tugboats provide assistance to large ships. Although large ships don’t have any trouble moving forward or backwards, they generally have trouble maneuvering sideways, hence the need for a “tug assist.” One or two harbor tug boats usually guide the ship in maneuvering sideways.
Aside from being tow trucks of the river or sea, some tugboats also function as rescue boats or icebreakers. Most also have firefighting monitors which allow them to help in fighting harbor fires.
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