The tug is designed to undertake coastal and harbour towage and was built to comply with the ABS rules for +A1 Tug, +AMS.

Atlas is an exceedingly compact and agile vessel of 21.3m in length overall, with a beam of 7.6m and maximum draft of 3.3m. The hull is well fendered and the design of bulwarks, superstructure and wheelhouse, give ample clearance for working alongside ships with a pronounced overhang. Some additional modifications are being considered to meet the specific towing requirements that are encountered in Dockyard ports.

Propulsion power is provided by two Caterpillar 3508B main engines with a maximum continuous rating of 2,100bhp (total) at 1,600rpm. The engines have electronic management systems and are keel cooled.

Power is transmitted to twin fixed pitch Lips propellers, rotating within fixed Lips Nautican high lift nozzles. Each nozzle is equipped with triple shutter rudders controlled by a non-follow through synchronised steering gear. The agility afforded by the latter, combined with a bollard pull of 30 tonnes and free running speed of 12.5 knots, makes Atlas a particularly useful tug for a wide range of harbour services.

The tug currently tows from a quick release tow hook aft or substantial forward bitts. A limited external fire fighting capability is provided by a single monitor supplied by a dedicated fire pump of 365m 3/hr capacity driven by its own Caterpillar 3116 diesel. Electrical power is supplied by two Caterpillar 3304 NA auxiliary generating sets.

Under a new 15 year contract that is currently out to tender, replacements will have to be found for some of the existing and more elderly of dockyard tugs currently in use. Present trials with Atlas , and previous trials with other chartered commercial tugs, that have been conducted jointly by Serco Denholm and the MOD Marine Services Integrated Business Team, will help to determine the best and most satisfactory type of vessel needed to cover a wide range of duties in support of dockyard and associated MOD(N) services.

Important factors to be considered are versatility and the ability to support the latest type of naval vessel currently in use and planned, in the most economic manner.