This enabled a further seven topics, of a technical nature, to be addressed under the chairmanship of Andy Smith, editor of International Tug & Salvage, whilst salvage and legal matters were being discussed in the main hall. On the whole this arrangement worked well but inevitably resulted in delegates making choices as to which of the adjacent lecture theatres to attend.

Keynote Paper

The conference was opened by the Mayor of Bilbao, Senor Inaki Azkuna, and the 'keynote paper' was presented by Mr John Noble Chief Executive of the Salvage Association. His speech contained a review of matters covered by ITS and a description of the first 13 months of the newly reconfigured Salvage Association and the progress achieved in that time. The organisation currently employs 52 full time surveyors, based in 12 countries, and representing over 700 years of experience.

Captain Kees van Essen, Operations Manager of Smit Salvage presented a paper on the necessity of training a new generation of salvage masters.

His paper looked at past practice and outlined a new approach to training emphasising the need to build confidence through responsibility and hands-on experience.

He says that age is an important issue; "Salvage masters of the new generation are young, well-educated, and bring direct experience of many sectors of shipping, including the chemical trades, crude oil transportation and containership operation."

Tug Testing

Among the towage related papers was a contribution entitled "Creating the Virtual Tug" by Professor Richard Birmingham and James Smith of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. The paper described how 'Quasi-static' methods of stability analysis can be successfully applied to escort tug operations with useful simulation of the tug's effect on the behaviour of the tanker it is assisting.

A comment that a simulation was only as accurate as the raw tug data available was met with a number of offers from tug owners around the audience.

Also concerned with the testing of escort tugs was the paper by Todd Busch of Crowley Marine Services and David Gray of Glosten Associates. This was an interesting illustrated overview of testing undertaken using an accurate, powered scale model, to investigate the performance of the Crowley tugs Nanuq and Tan'erliq designed for use in Alaska. Using the model in controlled conditions in a test tank it was possible to simulate conditions and collect accurate data whilst operating at speeds and in wave conditions neither safe or practical with the full-size vessel.

An interesting part of the exercise was to fit a small TV camera in the wheelhouse of the model at 'skipper's eye level'.

With the test tank carriage taking the place of the tanker the tug model was taken to extremes, and in one case was used to determine a maximum wave height of 7.6m as the limit for safe transition from escort to indirect steering mode at 14 knots. An example was shown where the model, working outside this envelope, was towed under by the ship in spectacular fashion.

Naval Architect Robert Allan, in his usual inimitable style gave an excellent presentation on "Compact tugs - their evolution and recent developments", taking the audience through the entire history of his company's involvement with small high powered tugs. Damen Shipyards, keen to take advantage of the growing market for such small compact vessels used the event to introduce their new ASD 2411, presenting a paper on some of the criteria used in its design.

Miraculous Salvage

Among several contributions on salvage, its implications and regulations, was an overview of the raising of the Russian submarine Kursk. Supported by video and graphics, Has Reinigert and Wessel Heimens of Mammoet Marine gave an excellent account of what was surely one of the most complex operations in salvage history. The amount of detailed preparation, construction and equipment conversion undertaken in just four months was nothing short of miraculous.

A welcome feature of most recent ITS conventions has been the opportunity for delegates to see at first hand some new vessels and often a few tugs from the local towage industry.

In Bilbao the 'Tug Parade' was organised by ANARE, the Spanish Tugowners Association and included an interesting cross-section of newly constructed tugs from Spanish yards and a number of vessels from local ship-handling fleets. The growing use of model tugs for serious research and development of modern vessels was also catered for, with demonstrations in a magnificent outdoor pool adjacent. Professional model maker, Canadian Ron Burchett, displayed a range of tug models and their propulsion systems, many of which are used in the training of tug masters and pilots.