Games

Harbour Tug

Push a huge ship into its berth with a small, strong tug. The ship is six times heavier, drifts with the current and stops dead against a quay, so you have to get behind it, push it along a smooth line and ease off in time. Six harbours with narrower berths and a stronger current.

Harbour Tug

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Watch a 20-second trailer

A real run of the game, recorded with captions and no sound.

How to play

  1. The big ship has no engine running, so you are its engine. Drive the tug with Up and Down for ahead and astern, Left and Right on the rudder, and Q and E to slide sideways, or use the on-screen buttons.
  2. Go round the ship, get behind it on the line to the berth, and push. The ship moves in the direction of the push where the tug touches it. Steer it into the berth drawn on the quay; when the whole ship is inside the berth and nearly still, a bar fills, and you hold it for two seconds to finish.
  3. You have a time limit, and the hull of the tug is damaged if it runs into a quay hard. The ship stops dead if it hits the quay, so it needs to arrive in line with the berth.

Controls: mouse, touch or keyboard. Made by CalcoTools.

Tips and strategy

  • Push against the drift, not just toward the berth. If the current is carrying the ship to the right, aim your push a little to the left of where you want it to go.
  • The ship is many times heavier, so it builds speed slowly and keeps it. Ease off well before the berth and let it glide in.
  • Push in the middle of the ship's side. Pushing near the end swings it round instead of sending it forward.

FAQ

Why does the ship barely move at first and then keep going?
Because of its mass. A push gives it speed in proportion to the force divided by its mass, so a heavy ship speeds up slowly, and it takes as long to slow down again. Pushing for longer, and stopping early, is what tug crews do.
Why does the ship drift when I'm not touching it?
The water carries it. A big ship in a current moves with the water over the ground, more slowly than a boat does, because it is so heavy and the water drags it. The tug has to push against that drift to keep it on its line.

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