タグボート（Tugboat）は、大型船舶などの入港や出港時に補助的に押したり引いたりするための船で、引船、曳船、または押船とも言われています。
タグボートの役割は、港湾内などの狭いエリアで細かく自由に動けない大型船をロープで牽引したり、船首で押すなどして誘導・補助し、安全に離着岸できるようにサポートすることです。 巨大船や数センチ単位での着岸が求められるタンカーなど、多種多様な船舶をサポートしています。船舶は減速を維持して離着岸を行いますが、減速に伴い船舶の運動性能は低下し、小回りが効きません。特に鈍い巨大船（長さ200メートル以上の船舶）ともなると前後にしか動けないため、左右への動きをサポートしてもらう必要があります。岸壁によっては数センチ単位での細かな着岸位置を求められる場合もあり、自身での着岸には限界があるのです。そこで、タグボートが船舶をロープで引っ張ったり、タイヤのついた船首で押して、安全な離着岸をサポートします。
また、タグボートは水先人との関係や自力での離着岸に不安な船舶のためにも重要です。船長に変わり船を安全に誘導する「水先人」の指示で押し引きをして離着岸をサポートします。離着岸の他にも、周囲の船舶の状況を水先人に連絡したり、接近する船舶には注意喚起をします。
A tugboat (Tugboat) is a vessel used to assist in pushing and pulling large ships when entering or leaving a port, and is also known as a tugboat, tugboat, or pushboat.
The role of tugboats is to guide and assist large ships that cannot move freely in small areas such as in harbors by towing them with ropes or pushing them with their bows, so that they can safely leave and berth. We support a wide variety of ships, including huge ships and tankers that require berthing within a few centimeters. Vessels maintain deceleration while departing from and docking at the berth, but as deceleration occurs, the vessel’s maneuverability deteriorates and it is no longer able to make tight turns. Especially when it comes to slow and huge ships (vessels over 200 meters in length), they can only move forward and backward, so they need support to move from side to side. Depending on the quay, you may be required to determine the precise berthing position down to a few centimeters, and there are limits to what you can do to berth yourself. Tugboats then pull the vessel with ropes and push it with their tire-equipped bows to help them safely leave and berth.
Tugboats are also important for relationships with pilots and for ships that are unsure of their ability to leave and berth on their own. The pilot, who acts as the captain and guides the ship safely, supports the ship by pushing and pulling the ship under instructions. In addition to berthing and leaving the berth, it also informs pilots of the status of surrounding vessels and alerts approaching vessels.
