In the early 1980’s the port of Halifax was experiencing increased activity related to the east coast offshore oil exploration taking place at that time. This along with increased container ship business with larger ships convinced Eastern Canada Towing Ltd. that it was time to build a new tug that would be powerful enough to handle the larger vessels coming into the harbour and also versatile enough to handle offshore work.

EYE was commissioned to design the vessel. Working closely with Eastern Canada Towing’s marine superintendent at the time the design was developed. The vessel was built by Mctay Marine Ltd. on the river Mersey just outside Liverpool in England. E.Y.E. carried out the construction supervision on the project.

Although there was a considerable downturn in the offshore industry by the time the Point Halifax went into service, she has since that time, been very successfully employed as a harbour tug in Halifax harbour.

The Point Halifax along with the other "Point" class vessels of the Eastern Canada Towing fleet can be seen at close quarters from the boardwalk on the waterfront in downtown Halifax. It is said that these tugboats inspired the creator of the award winning children’s TV show "Theodore Tugboat".

The Point Halifax is 110’-0" long with a beam of 37’-6" and a draft of 16’-9". She is propelled by twin Ulstein Z-Drive propulsion units each powered by a 2150HP Ruston diesel engine giving a free running speed of 12 Knots and a bollard pull of 62 Tons.