As previously described ( Maritime Journal , July 2005) the tug is equipped for towage, buoy handling, plough dredging, emergency response and pollution control and fire fighting. Within a very short time the real value of its massive 140 tons/metre Heila hydraulic crane and large deck space became apparent. Since entering service the whole process of buoy changing and maintenance, an annual duty carried out all around the island of Jersey, has been simplified enormously and outside assistance is no longer required for routine work. Full size navigational buoys can be lifted on deck, the sinkers and mooring chains retrieved, and a new buoy and mooring equipment put in place in two to three hours and with much reduced manpower. The operation is simplified further by the high degree of manoeuvrability possible, thanks to the twin screw propulsion system and powerful bow thruster.

The crane has also proved its worth on endless occasions around the port and no doubt reduced the need to hire mobile cranes considerably. St Helier has one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world, which can have a dramatic effect on harbour maintenance operations.

Duke of Normandy 'scrane with its four telescopic sections and long reach performed in spectacular fashion when installing long sections of vertical fendering on the local ferry berths and dolphins. The installation took place in locations almost impossible to reach from ashore and which would otherwise have required some other form of work platform. At low water, when quays are almost inaccessible from afloat, the crane can still be used to load or discharge equipment and spare parts from the tug's deck.

Duke of Normandy is working with local ferry companies to develop shiphandling procedures for use in bad weather and the tug crew expect to start plough dredging with the new vessel during the winter months. The latter is another feature of the tug's work that is expected to contribute considerably to cost reductions around the port. From the outset it was foreseen that a shallow draft tug could provide a useful emergency response service and some limited salvage capacity.

The Duke of Normandy carried out its first salvage operation recently, albeit a very small one. A small local fishing vessel became swamped and sank in inshore waters and with the help of divers was quickly lifted with the tug's crane, dewatered and placed on the deck.