Pilbara Neptune is fitted out to a high standard with special provisions on deck for mooring in exposed locations. The first vessel of this important order was delivered in January, a second is due shortly and the original two tug order was increased to three in October 2004.

Holyhead Towing Ltd has sold their 20.55m Shoalbuster Afon Braint to Belgian contractors Besix Ltd . Formerly the Knight Buster , the 940bhp vessel has been part of the Holyhead fleet since July 2002. The tug has been renamed Milo and is currently lying at Milford Haven where she is expected to participate in the construction of a new LNG jetty. The name Afon Braint has been reserved for the new tug under construction for the company at Hepworth Shipbuilders .

The last single screw shiphandling tug to be built in Britain has been sold by Adsteam Towage Ltd to the Port of Londonderry.

Ganges was originally built for the Alexandra Towing Company Ltd and spent most of its working life in Felixstowe. A vessel of 32m and 281 gross tons, the tug is powered by a Ruston 270M main engine of 2640bhp to produce a bollard pull of 42 tonnes.

The port of Londonderry are expecting to fit a bow thruster in their new acquisition to improve manoeuvrability.

Fairmount Marine has already won a contract for the first of a new generation of long-range/ anchor-handling tugs under construction in Japan. Early in 2006 by the new Fairmount Sherpa and Fairmount Summit will tow the 312m FPSO Dalia from the builders in Ulsan, South Korea, to the TotalFinaElf Dalia Field off Angola for Technip of France. On arrival the tugs will position and moor the vessel in 1,300m of water.

Fairmount Sherpa and Summit , due delivery in May and October, will be the most powerful tugs ever to operate under the Dutch flag.

Remolques Unidos ofSantander has sold the stern drive tug Honce to French operator LesAbeille for use at Dunkirk. The 4554bhp, Caterpillar engined, shiphandling vessel was built by Astilleros Armon in 2002 and equipped with Schottel propulsion units. It is reported that the vessel will become part of the local fleet and be renamed Vigilant .