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Towlines
01 May 2003
The Italian tug Uran has arrived at Avonmouth to fulfil a short-term charter with Svitzer Wijsmuller. Owned by Tripmare s. r. l. of Trieste, it is an ASD vessel of 4080bhp with a bollard pull of 50 tonnes. Uran will be used as a temporary measure to boost the Avonmouth-Portbury fleet until two new tractor tugs are delivered by Spanish shipyard Astilleros Zamakona during the summer months.
Dutch owners Multraship Towage & Salvage have purchased the sister tugs Petronella J Goekoop and Hendrik P Goedkoop from the Amsterdam fleet of Svitzer Wijsmuller. Both are single screw 'Combi tugs' of 900bhp fitted with Aquamaster retractable azimuthing bow thrusters of 500bhp. They will be renamed Multratug 14 and 15 respectively. The tugs are very similar to the Multratug 12 used successfully as trials vessel for the unique Carrousel towing system and it is likely that both tugs will be fitted out in the same way.
West Coast Towing (Offshore) Ltd has sold the anchor-handling tug Valiant Nader after almost 10 years of service. The 5000bhp vessel was built in Yugoslavia in 1975 and has a bollard pull of 70 tonnes. Valiant Nader has been acquired by Wilbros for use in West Africa as the WB Force 1.
On 7 April Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd presented the Maritime & Coastguard Agency with a model of the new Emergency Towing Vessel Anglian Princess. The event highlights a new era for the ETV fleet which now provides four vessels to help protect the British Coastline, all the year round, 24 hours a day. Anglian Princess is the first of two new tugs to be built to serve HM Coastguard in a continuing fleet modernisation programme. A sister ship is undergoing shipbuilders trials prior to delivery. On receiving the model Chief Coastguard Mr John Astbury replied, 'It is my pleasure to receive this model on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Klyne Tugs are now firmly in the MCA family. We shall be working together for a long time and I hope we have a happy and fruitful relationship'.
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