All three tugs will be built at Damen facilities in the Far East.

The first is expected to arrive in Britain in February 2005 and the second pair, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art FiFi 1 fire-fighting equipment will be delivered in January 2006. These vessels will be the first of the new, much publicised, Damen ASD 2411 compact shiphandling tugs to be ordered for use in Europe.

Designed specifically for the handling of larger, heavier vessels, these additions to the UK fleet will be initially deployed on the rivers Humber and Medway.

They will enable some of the larger Voith tractor tugs from the Humber to be redeployed on the Mersey and maximise the company's effectiveness and increase bollard pull.

Commenting on these new additions, Adsteam Chief Executive Europe, Stephen Eastwood said: 'We are delighted to announce the addition of three new high-powered tugs to the UK fleet which incorporate the latest technology. The new tugs will increase the bollard pull capacity in the UK by 10 per cent and anticipate future customer demand. Our parent company, Adsteam Marine Limited, has been highly satisfied with the performance of the first ASD 2411 in Australia and we are therefore looking forward to taking delivery of the first new tug next year.'