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Carrousel Turns to Bigger Things
01 Oct 2007
Ropes, stretchers and other materials incorporating the super strong polyethylene fibre DSM Dyneema are being tested on board the tug 'Multratug 12', the first vessel to be equipped with the Carrousel towing system.
Multratug 12 was the first vessel to be fitted with the revolutionary towing system, in which a ring is mounted around the tug's superstructure which enables the towing point to rotate freely through 360(DEGREES). The system was jointly developed by the Dutch IMC Group and Ternuezen based operator Multraship Towage and Salvage, with the patent now held by Rotterdam based Novatug BV, which also holds patents on the Carrousel winch and other related products.
The 1961 built, 28.5m Multratug 12 operates mainly as a harbour tug on the Westerscheld but is also used for escort work since the retrofit of its Carrousel system. The Combitug layout sees a single engine driving a single propeller, with a bow thruster forward.
Novatug is conducting the tests with regard to new and much more powerful Carrousel tugs currently under build in Malaysia for Multraship. These vessels are designed to deliver 80 tons static bollard pull and 160 tons dynamic bollard pull. The vessels will be fully certified for escort duties, with a full escort winch on the Carrousel fitted with 200m of 70mm Dyneema based rope.
The DSM Dyneema rope combines maximum strength with minimum weight and is claimed to be up to 15 times stronger than steel. It will float on the water, is resistant to moisture, UV light and chemicals.
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