Ijmuiden based Iskes Towing & Salvage BV has placed an order with Scheepswerf Gebr. Kooiman BV of Zwijndrecht for two powerful ASD tugs of 80 tons bollard pull. The tugs will be constructed to the Robert Allan Ltd RAmparts 3200W design and the first tugs of this type to be built in a west European shipyard. Already allocated the names ‘Brent’ and ‘Ginger’, the 32m stern drive tugs will be built to meet the class requirements of Germanischer Lloyd and will be operated under the Netherlands flag.

The 1^st of March 2008 marked a new chapter in the history of Singapore based towage and salvage company Semco Pte Ltd when the company changed its name to POSH Semco Pte Ltd. With the acquisition of Semco on 8 August 2007 by Pacific Carriers Limited (PCL), the shipping division of the Kuok Group, POSH Semco is now one of the four divisions under the Pacc Offshore Services Holdings (POSH) group of companies, concentrating primarily on offshore production and deepwater support business. 

‘Smit Canada’, one of the Voith tractor tugs taken over by Smit Harbour Towage last year with the Liverpool fleet of Adsteam Towage, has been sold to TP Towage Ltd of Gibraltar. Sister to ‘Smit Collingwood’, the tug was built locally by McTay Marine in 1980 and is powered by Ruston main engines generating 2,640 bhp for a bollard pull of 32 tons. Smit Canada joins the TP Towage fleet bearing the new name ‘Wellington’.

Among a substantial number of new Damen Shoalbusters being delivered or under construction is the ‘Sea Alfa’. This new Shoalbuster 3009 was completed in mid-February for Sea Contractors BV of Flushing in the Netherlands by Damen Shipyards at Hardinxveldt. The 30.08m tug is powered by Caterpillar 3512B TA/C main engines of 3,300 bhp. On the vessel’s acceptance trials Sea Alfa achieved a maximum bollard pull of 51 tons and 48.7 tons at MCR (maximum continuous rating).