MARIN , the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands, has initiated a research project entitled SAFETUG which will study the operability of tugs in waves and 'Ship Assist in Fully Exposed Conditions'. MARIN hosted an introductory meeting on the Joint Industry Project in June. With 27 participants it is the largest Joint Industry Project ever organised at MARIN.

All major oil companies, tug operators and several equipment suppliers are participating. The project addresses the definition of the tug operational issues 'Performance and Safety', both for offshore (off-loading) and port and terminal approach (escorting). An initial testing programme will use a common representative design of an ASD tug and in a later stage will test a Voith design. The second stage of SAFETUG will deal with tug design variations aiming at capability improvements of tugs in seaways. This will be done either through simulations or further model testing.

Svitzer Marine Ltd has sold the two large twin screw tugs Faris and Ryan , formerly engaged in shiphandling at the Port Talbot ore terminal and operated from their base at Swansea. Quite unique in Britain, the vessels were originally built by Dorman Long Vanderbijl in Durban in 1977 and 1979 respectively for the South African ports authority.

Sister ships of 42.15m in length and 528 gross tons, they are powered by Mirrlees Blackstone main engines delivering a total of 4,000bhp for a bollard pull of 53 tons. The tugs were initially brought to the UK by former contractors at Port Talbot, West Coast Towing . Both vessels have been sold to Al Jazeera Shipping Co of Bahrain and it is reported that they are likely to be employed on a tug/barge transportation project in the Arabian Gulf.

A new participant has joined the coastal and short sea towing market around the UK in the shape of the single screw tug Lowgarth , operated by Rigg Shipping of Ipswich. The 29m tug was built in 1965 and is powered by a Ruston diesel of 850bhp driving fixed pitch propeller and giving the tug a bollard pull of 15 tons and free running speed of 10 knots.

Lowgarth has been refitted, a towing winch installed, and is operated under the British flag with a full load line and Class IX certification.