The latest addition to the Adsteam Marine fleet, Adsteam Harty, was delivered by Damen Shipyards to the Medway early this month. This powerful ASD 2411 compact tug will be joined by an identical sister Adsteam Warden by the end of the month.

A detailed account of the pair will be published in Maritime Journal in the near future.

ITS 2006, the world renowned tug and salvage convention is set to break all previous records when it is held at Beurs World Trade Centre in Rotterdam on April 24-28. The organisers report that delegate registrations are to date 20% up on previous shows. Exhibition space will be 50% larger and is almost fully booked. A tug parade, a popular feature of previous ITS events, will be sponsored by Wartsila and held on April 26. Heralded as 'The World's Biggest Parade of Tugs' it will be staged alongside the Rotterdam Cruise Terminal and the organisers have applied to the Guinness Book of Records for inclusion of this fleet, which will represent130 years of tug development. One representative from Britain will be the beautifully refurbished veteran motor tug Kent sponsored by J P Knight Ltd and Maritime Journal.

The Shetlands Islands Council took over responsibility for the towage service from 1 January 2005 from subsidiary Shetland Towage Ltd. This was consistent with the agreement reached for the continuance of Sullom Voe Terminal post 2000 in which the industry could ask the Council to assume responsibility for the service at any time after 2000.

The Council will contract the service to Shetland Towage Limited until 10 February when the company is merged into the port operations at Sullom Voe.

Councillor Bill Manson, Chairman of Shetland Charitable Trust said, 'I am delighted the uncertainty on the contractual position has been removed from the workforce and I know they will continue to provide the service required by industry users'.