Loek Kullberg, managing director of Smit’s Harbour Towage Division said, ‘This marks our first move into the UK harbour towage market but not into the UK as such. Smit Transport & Heavy Lift, for example has a contract with the Ministry of Defence for marine support of military ranges. This division also operates crew boats and similar vessels at BP’s Hound Point terminal on the north east coast. Liverpool, however, is a first for Smit Harbour Towage and naturally we are delighted.’

There are two towage operators serving the port of Liverpool. Svitzer (formerly SvitzerWijsmuller) is also active in the area supporting the Shell terminal and a number of other customers. Adsteam’s clients were the more traditional carriers, some of whom are already Smit’s customers at ports elsewhere in the world. Discussions between Smit and Liverpool Port Authority have reviewed the operational needs, taking into account the physical character of the port, the need to work in relatively confined areas, and the locks. Loek Kullberg added, ‘We believe the 58 tons bollard pull Damen ASD Tug 2810 has the flexibility and manoeuvrability to operate with success at Liverpool.’

Adsteam had operated in the Mersey area for many years with a six tug fleet of Voith tractors, some of which are beginning to show their age. They include the first tractors to work in the Mersey, ‘Canada’ and’Collingwood’, built in 1980 and 1981 respectively, the ‘Bramley Moore’ (1984), ‘Waterloo’ (1987) and flagship of the original fleet ‘Trafalgar’, added in 1998. The sixth vessel, ‘Gladstone’ (1977, was purchased from Hapag-Lloyd in 1994. Of the above, Gladstone has a bollard pull of 30 tons, Canada and Collingwood 32 tons, Waterloo 36 tons, Bramley Moore 36 tons and Trafalgar a very significant 63 tons.

Now known as Smit Harbour Towage Liverpool, the new operators have now taken delivery of the ‘Smit Barbados’ and ‘Smit Donau’, with the Canada and Gladstone offered for sale. The remaining four tugs have been renamed. Collingwood, Waterloo and Trafalgar have gained a ‘Smit’ prefix and Bramley Moore has become the ‘Smit Liverpool’. Almost immediately after the takeover was announced the tugs’ livery was changed to the familiar Smit colours and the task of integrating the Liverpool organisation into the Netherlands based management systems began.

A visit by Maritime Journal to Smit Harbour Towage Liverpool revealed an air of optimism among the crews and shoreside staff. The company is headed by general manager David Waterhouse along with engineering manager Steve Clements, both part of the former Adsteam management team. In all, the Liverpool operation employs seven staff ashore and 41 afloat, operating from a small, well appointed office in Liverpool’s North Huskisson Dock complex. When asked about the future prospects for Smit in Liverpool, David Waterhousereplied, ‘During the last two years the Port of Liverpool has seen a huge increase in the number of big ships regularly calling here and with a new deep water berth proposed for 2010 that growth is set to continue. By investing today in powerful ASD tugs, Smit is equipping itself well to handle these large ships and positioning itself to meet the needs of our customers, and the port, in the future.’

An almost immediate benefit was the allocation of the two new tugs to the operation. Prior to this latest takeover, the Liverpool fleet, with a history traceable back to the Alexandra Towing Company Ltd, has seen no recent investment in new tugs. The powerful tractor tug ‘Smit Trafalgar’, built in 1998 and reviewed in the pages of Maritime Journal at the time, was the last newbuilding.

The Port of Liverpool places many quite specific demands on the tugs employed to assist ships in the river and the extensive enclosed dock system. At present most of the traditional cargo trades operate from facilities within the enclosed docks and the ships have continued to increase in size. Container and bulk cargo vessels now entering the dock system via the locks are much larger than those first envisaged when the facilities were constructed. The entrances to the larger, downstream Seaforth docks are exposed to a very large tidal range exceeding 9m and in adverse weather conditions tugs regularly operate in a 3m swell and 40 knots of wind. Entering the dock system under those conditions requires powerful, highly manoeuvrable tugs, manned by highly skilled crews capable of working very closely with the ship’s pilots.

In common with many ports, Liverpool has plans for new external berths for large container ships, obviating the need to enter via the locks. Although the planning process is well advanced, construction and commissioning will take some time and in the meantime Liverpool remains very much at the centre of the Trans-Atlantic container trades. A brisk trade in exported scrap metal has resulted in a prolific variety of bulk carriers of all sizes. As ships continue to get larger, the demand for more power to handle them in the prevailing wind and tidal conditions increases.

It was against the foregoing scenario that Smit made the decision to urgently increase the bollard pull available in the Liverpool fleet.

The new additions Smit Barbados and Smit Donau are identical in size and power and differ only in detail. Both are powerful and highly manoeuvrable shiphandling tugs designed to operate efficiently and safely with a crew of three. Smit Harbour Towage, in keeping with other divisions of Smit, has a very large and ongoing fleet replacement programme that also enables new business to be taken into account. Smit Barbados and Smit Donau were part of that programme and are just two of a large number of Damen ASD Tug 2810 vessels already delivered, under construction, or on order. Although this is a well established Damen Standard design and a series built product, Smit has had considerable input into the concept.

Smit Barbados was built by Damen Shipyards Galatz in Romania and Smit Donau by the company’s shipyard in Poland. Both tugs are stern drive vessels of 28.67m in length and 10.43m beam with a draft (aft) of 4.74m. Smit Donau meets the requirements of Bureau Veritas; 1+ Hull. MACH Tug Unrestricted Navigation AUT UMS including tonnage & load line certificate and UK MCA class IX. Smit Barbados carries almost identical class notation from Lloyds Register.

The hull design incorporates a deep box keel, smooth forward shape and chamfered stern intended to afford good handling characteristics ahead and astern. A raised foredeck and clear work deck aft gives the crew a safe working environment. In order to offer maximum clearance while working beneath the fore and aft flare of large ships, the superstructure, wheelhouse and exhaust uptakes have been set well in towards the centreline. Considerable thought has been given to the important matter of fendering, with rubber ‘W’ block and cylindrical sections in the bow and ‘D’ section mouldings at the sides and stern. In Smit Donau, a water lubricating system has been incorporated in the bow fender, a feature that will become standard in the ASD 2810 series.

Smit Barbados and her sister ship are powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3516B TA HD/C main engines producing a total of 4,930 bhp at 1,600 rev/min. The engines are coupled to Rolls Royce US 205 fully azimuthing propulsion units incorporating 2,400mm diameter fixed pitch propellers and integral clutches. This arrangement gives the vessels a bollard pull of 59.2 tons towing ahead, 54.8 tons towing astern and a maximum speed of 13.3 knots.

The main engines are situated in a spacious engine room with a layout designed for ease of maintenance. During normal running a forced ventilation system is capable of handling up to 55,000 m3 of air per hour. Electrical power is provided by two Caterpillar 3056T diesel powered auxiliary generators each rated 105kVA at 400v, 50Hz. Hydraulic power for the deck machinery is supplied by pumps driven by the main engines.

Both tugs have a virtually identical deck layout and towing winches fore and aft. Most of the tug’s shiphandling work is carried out in ‘push-pull’ mode from a combined single drum towing winch and anchor windlass on the foredeck. The winch has a maximum brake holding load of 130 tonns and carries a high tech manmade fibre towline with a steel wire pennant. A second single drum winch on the after deck, equipped with spooling gear and a steel wire towline, has the same 130 tons brake capacity. This winch gives the tugs the ability to tow over the stern at sea or in port. A Mampaey quick release tow hook, with a 65 tons safe working load, is fitted for secondary use and a 5 ton capstan is also installed.

Of the two tugs, Smit Barbados is the only one to be fitted with external fire fighting equipment. This comprises a single monitor mounted at bridge deck level and supplied with water at 600 m3 per minute by a separate Caterpillar powered pump located between the main engines.

The wheelhouse design is of the now familiar Damen concept with almost complete all round visibility from the ‘tug master’s’ chair. Every aspect of the wheelhouse is aimed at achieving maximum efficiency and safe operation of the tug with the current crew of three, taking into account that for much of the time the tug master will be alone on the bridge. Both tugs have the new ‘standard’ control console that is now fitted in all ASD tugs in the builder’s range. The new console was developed by Damen in cooperation with captains and crews from several major clients, with the aim of identifying the most acceptable ergonomic design. All major propulsion systems, winch and major auxiliaries are controlled from this single ‘split desk’ arrangement. The space between the two elements of the console is used to mount the radar displays and foot switches at floor level to enable hands free use of the VHF radios.

Other vital communications and navigational controls are located on overhead panels or a vertical panel on the port side. The outfit of communications and navigational equipment varies between the two vessels but in each case it meets the requirements of GMDSS A1 or A2 as applicable.

The integration of these small and extremely agile ASD tugs into a fleet that has comprised solely Voith tractors for many years was undertaken with great caution. Extensive crew training has taken place in Liverpool and Rotterdam, enabling the local personnel to benefit from the experience of Smit captains from what is rapidly becoming an ‘all ASD fleet’ in the Netherlands.