The 80m tugs will be capable of dealing effectively with environmental crises and disasters and be capable of operating under any conditions.

Rolls-Royce Marine are responsible for the UT design and will supply a full package of power and propulsion equipment and deck machinery. Delivery is scheduled for May and October/November 2006.

Two primary roles have been identified for the new SASEMAR vessels, towing and pollution control, as one of a number of measures intended to avoid a re-occurrence of incidents similar to the sinking of the tanker Prestige which resulted in large scale contamination of the Spanish coastline in 2002.

They will have a bollard pull of 228 tonnes, sufficient towing capability to prevent a stricken vessel drifting ashore. Should an oil spill occur, they will be equipped to recover floating oil and transfer it to tanks on board.

Other capabilities will include, rescue, fire-fighting, salvage and diving support.

The design for the SASEMAR vessels is based on the well-proven UT 722L but with modifications to the deck layout and winch to reflect the primary focus on emergency towing and oil recovery. Four Bergen diesels producing a total of 21,740bhp (16,000kW) will be coupled to a pair of controllable pitch propellers for a high degree of operational flexibility. Dynamic positioning has been specified, to IMO DP2 standards, and will integrate control of main propellers, high-lift rudders, two transverse bow thrusters, a retractable azimuth bow thruster and two stern thrusters.

A two drum Rauma Brattvaag main towing winch will have a pull of 307 tonnes and a brake holding load of 550 tonnes.

Towing pins and a stern roller will enhance the salvage capability. To enable tanker escort duties to be undertaken a towing winch will be located on the foredeck, with a line pull of 95 tonnes and a maximum 250 tonne brake load - an unusual feature on a vessel of this type.

The new Spanish vessels will have a comprehensive oil recovery outfit that will include oil booms and sweeping arms to guide floating oil to a variety of skimmer systems capable of collecting oil of different viscosities. Recovered oil will be transferred to very large designated tanks aboard the ship with a total specified capacity of 1,700m 3- 70% greater than the North Sea standard for offshore vessels. Each vessel will be equipped for fire fighting to FiFi 2 standards, with a water spray self protection system, which will supply monitors delivering jets of water to a distance of 160m and 70m in height.