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Towlines
01 May 2002
Tugs from Adsteam Towage (London) Ltd and towmaster Capt Eric Johnson from United Salvage Ltd safely delivered the 106 suite floating hotel Sunborn to its berth alongside the Excel Events Centre in London's Royal Docks in mid-April. The liner-like engineless vessel was towed though the locks and cuttings of the enclosed docks system in the early hours of the morning to avoid disruption of traffic at London Docklands Airport. To access the vessels berth in the old Victoria Dock it was necessary to pass through a narrow cutting at the end of the runway. Sunborn was constructed in Finland and towed to the Thames estuary by tugs of Transport and Service of Bremerhaven.
Damen Shipyards of Gorinchem, Holland, have delivered the Stan Tug 2207 Poseidon to Regimen de Pensiones Y Jubilaciones de la Empresa - Portuaria Quetzal of Guatamala. With livery as colourful as the owner's title, the 22.5m twin screw vessel is powered Caterpillar 3512 B TA engines producing a total of 2822bhp for a bollard pull of 38 tonnes.
Two former British naval Dog Class tugs of 28.65m and 1360bhp have found further employment. Corgi has been sold by Sea Structures Ltd of Plymouth to the Istia Shipping Company of Greece and left the UK in March. Cumbrae (ex; Clutha, ex; Alsatian) has gone to Osprey Maritime Ltd of Bristol and is now engaged in barge work on the north east coast of England.
One of Britain's few remaining wartime 'TID' tugs has changed hands again after some 48 years of service with numerous owners.
Bonchurch, originally TID 174 built as a steam tug in 1944 and converted to motor in the 1960s, has been sold by Tyne Towage of Newcastle to Griffin Towage & Marine and taken to Plymouth.
The 22.25m single screw vessel now has a 650bhp Cummins main engine fitted by Tyne Towage
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Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2008. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
