Augustea and Anchor Marine are among a number of companies active in these areas. Anchor Marine is currently operating nine deck cargo barges ranging from 5,000dwt to 25,000dwt.

A new barge of 135 x 40m will join this fleet later this year and is targeted at the offshore industry and the movement of the very large post Panamax container cranes.

Anchor Marine have used Augustea tugs on a number of transports including the transportation of dredging equipment from Rotterdam to Barcelona, offshore equipment from the North Sea to offshore Angola, and a floating crane from Rotterdam to Santa Marta, Columbia. The 5,000bhp Augustea tug Tore is now on charter in Mexico with the barge AMT Mariner andjoins two other Anchor Marine barges operating in that area. There are obvious synergies between the two companies and it is their stated intention to develop their towage and transportation activities to become a major player in the offshore and heavy lift transportation industries.

Augustea are building a new anchor-handling tug at the Rosetti Marino yard in Ravenna.

Built to a Rolls Royce UT514L design, the vessel will have 120 tons bollard pull and be delivered in February 2006. It is interesting to note that whilst many tug operators have been concentrating on newbuildings of more than 160 tons bollard pull, Augustea are confident that there is a market for this size of tug. In the last twenty years there have been very few tugs built in the 90 to 130 ton range and the new vessel will be competing with a declining fleet of those built in the 1970s.

The new tug will have an overall length of 55.40m, a beam of 15.5m and maximum draft of 5.8m. Two Wartsila main engines will produce a total of 10,500bhp to power twin controllable pitch propellers. Designed for offshore operations and long haul towage, the main engines will burn IF380 heavy fuel oil that Augustea believe will result in a significant saving in fuel costs.