All three tugs were purpose built for the terminal by BP and operated under management by Targe, who also manage the BP tug fleet at Hound Point in the Firth of Forth.

Targe has now secured a long term contract to provide towage services to Petroplus, the new owners of Coryton, and have purchased the tug fleet from BP. At a recent ceremony the BP house flag was hauled down and presented by the managing director of Targe, Mr Tom Woolley, to Captain Ian Robertson of BP Shipping Ltd in the presence of a small number of invited guests.

Working in partnership with The Royal Bank of Scotland's Structured Asset Finance Team, the deal represents a massive investment by Targe, who are deeply committed to maintaining the high level of service made available to their previous clients.

As managers of BP tugs in the Thames and at Hound Point, Targe has won a number of awards for their performance in respect to safety and efficiency, including BP Partner of the Year. The company also operate their own tug fleet in Scotland, working in Peterhead, Aberdeen, Montrose and Dundee.

All three vessels operating at the Coryton refinery, ‘Stanford’, ‘Corringham’ and ‘Castle Point’, are purpose built Damen ASD 3211 tugs delivered by the Dutch shipbuilder in 2005. The tugs are identical 32m azimuthing stern drive vessels with 70 tons bollard pull and exceptional fire fighting capability.