Novatug is a Rotterdam-based subsidiary of Terneuzen based Multraship Towage & Salvage formed to develop and market the Carrousel system.

GE Marine is a division of GE Transportation of the General Electric Company.

GE Marine - one of the world's leading manufacturers of marine products - manufactures gas turbines (6,000 to 57,300 shaft horsepower), medium speed diesels (1,600 to 4,000 shaft horsepower), and main reduction gearing for marine and diesel-electric industrial applications.

The MOU follows on the heels of a contract under which GE will supply Multraship with two GE medium-speed, 12-cylinder diesel engines to power a carrousel tug scheduled for operation in 2005. It will be the first purpose built tug to incorporate the revolutionary 360º towing system. This radically different towing system, tried and tested using the full-scale tug Multratug 12 , embodies a ring surrounding the tug's superstructure allowing the towing connection to rotate freely to any point around the vessel. In this way a relatively simple single or twin-screw tug can be used to produce extremely high manoeuvring and steering forces in the indirect towing mode of operation. An important factor in the development of the Carrousel towing system was the design and subsequent testing of a special winch that is now mounted on the rotating carriage on the Carrousel track. The latter has now been in use on the Multratug 12 for some time and proved highly successful.

The new compact Carrousel tug will be a twin-screw vessel employing two GE diesel engines, each rated at 3,070 shaft horsepower (shp) for total system propulsion of 6,140shp.

A shipyard is now being selected to build the 24m vessel to drawings being prepared by Worldwise Marine BV. This first new vessel is expected to achieve a static bollard pull of approximately 100 tonnes and will enter service in the ports of southern Holland. The German towage company Fairplay is also reported to be planning a dedicated Carrousel tug, for shiphandling and escort work, and are currently negotiating with shipyards prior to placing a contract.