Printer Friendly
Email a Friend
Spanish SDMs - a New European Art Form?
01 Sep 2005
Named after the famous Spanish artists, Ramon Casa and Salvador Dali are the first two US designed Ship Docking Modules (SDMs) to have entered service in Barcelona with Spanish towage company Remolques y Servicios Maritimos (REYSER).
This unique tug design was first conceived by Mr Erik Hvide, president of Hvide Marine Inc of Fort Lauderdale, USA, later Seabulk Towing. The first vessel went into service in 1998 and a number are now in use in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, including a later Mk II version. The concept is unique and is based on a shallow, flat bottomed, hull of 27.60m in length and 15.30m beam, with an elliptical plan-form. Two fully azimuthing propulsion units are employed, one at each end, one offset to port and the other to starboard. An identical skeg is located at each end and the vessel can be regarded as virtually 'double ended'.
A towing winch placed beneath the superstructure enables the towline to be deployed through fairleads (staples), amidships or right aft. The whole concept is based on achieving a towing vessel capable of producing a high and equal bollard pull in any direction around the tug, forwards, backwards or to either side and in that respect the SDM is very successful. In the USA these vessels are fitted out in a relatively simple manner and manned by a crew of two or three.
Ramon Casa and Salvador Dali were constructed at Bilbao by Astilleros Zamakona under a license obtained by REYSER to produce the SDM in Europe.
The Spanish version is almost identical to the US Mk II design with dimensions identical to those mentioned above.
Two Caterpillar 3516B HD main engines are fitted, each producing 2,500bhp at 1,600rpm.
Power from each engine is transmitted to Rolls-Royce US 205 FP fully steerable propulsion units via Twin Disc 3000-7HD slipping clutch units. This arrangement gives the SDM a bollard pull of some 60 tons and a maximum free running speed of 12 knots.
The towing winch installed has a maximum brake holding load of 135 tons and a quick release tow hook with a 50 tons safe working load is also fitted for secondary use. Fire fighting equipment to FiFi standard is also provided, with one water and one water/ foam monitor located on a gantry above the wheelhouse. Two engine driven fire pumps are each rated at 1,356m 3/hr at 12.5 bar.
Ramon Casa and her sister have fully air conditioned accommodation for up to six persons.
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2008. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
Related products
For more information on products mentioned within this article visit
