Tugnology 11, well attended, interesting and enjoyable

Held in the Antwerp Hilton Hotel on 17 and 18 May, the event attracted an unprecedented 312 delegates from 28 countries. Although this biennial event continues to be advertised as a ‘no frills’ conference, the venue was more than adequate and the hospitality and opportunities for ‘networking’ excellent. Antwerp is situated, well and truly, in an area where shipping, towage and inland waterways are a part of daily life for a sizeable sector of the community. This led to a number of delegates turning up for registration without prior arrangement, the ultimate in ‘passing trade’.

The conference gave delegates a unique opportunity to discuss a wide range of towage related topics and take part in a ‘forum’ session. As expected, the event attracted tug owners, designers and equipment suppliers, many of which are involved globally in the towage industry. As with the two previous Tugnology events, an area was set aside for a ‘table top’ exhibition where manufacturers, designers and tug builders could display their wares. This element of the event was quickly ‘sold out’ and was extended to the maximum space available. The exhibition area was widely used by delegates as a meeting place during breaks in the scheduled conference proceedings

A total of 17 papers were presented over the two day period. The morning sessions were chaired by Mike Allen, familiar to all as the regular ITS chairman, and Dawn Gorman, editor of International Tug & Salvage magazine presided in the afternoons. As always the choice of subjects provided a range of interest to those involved in operating, designing, building and purchasing tugs and equipment.

The conference hall was expertly arranged, with a modern audio-visual system which coped adequately with the large attendance. The fact that the vast majority of delegates remained in their seats throughout the proceedings is a measure of the success of the event.

Tugnology 11 was formally opened by Mr Christiaan de Block, chief operating officer for the Port of Antwerp. He welcomed Tugnology to Antwerp and went on to explain the importance of towing to the port and its use of tugs, dating back to 1870. The Port Authority currently operates a tug fleet of some 19 vessels, all with Voith propulsion, making it the largest fleet of Voith tractors in the world.

The inaugural address was given by Mr Richard Knight, chairman and managing director of the JP Knight Group, and currently chairman of the European Tugowners Association. His contribution was a polished and philosophical talk touching on many aspects of towage and its development and importance, ending with, “This is an exciting time in the history of the tug, a time of innovation because we live in a time of necessity. A time, as the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot so immaculately put it, ‘to exercise the little grey cells’ “.

Among the papers on the first day was ‘Hydrodynamic Forces in Ship-Tug Interaction’ by Stefan Geerts of Ghent University, The subject is one that is in every tugmaster’s mind when manoeuvring alongside the bow of a ship at speed. Stepfan carried out the work on behalf of the Belgian towing company URS and conducted research into the close quarters relationship between tug and ship using tank testing facilities at Flanders Hydraulics Research. His work explains the pressures and forces involved in what are for many tugmen a common situation. The paper ‘The RAVE –Tug Application, Hydrodynamic Characteristics and Manoeuvrability’ by Dr Lisagor of RAL and Dr Dirk Jurgens of Voith, explained the hydrodynamic research carried out on this unique and as yet untried design concept, where two Voith propulsion units are located inline.

Other papers on the first day covered aspects as diverse as towline and winch development, considerations for future tug propulsion technology, and the setting standards for a new generation of tugs operating in ice. The day ended with a paper entitled ‘Crewing and Training Challenges’ presented by Captain Douglas Pine and Captain Jordan May from the Master of Towing Vessels Association in the USA and a panel discussion on crewing and training. Chaired by Dawn Gorman, the panel comprised Captain Ron Burchett of Burchett Marine Inc from Canada; Dai Coombes, crew development manager from Svitzer in the UK; Captain Leendert Muller of Multraship in the Netherlands; and Steve Sandy, training master of Serco and general manager of the International Tugmasters Association in the UK. The subjects addressed by the panel, with audience participation were, ‘Training for the Future – are you ready?’, ‘There are many advantages of a simulator’, ‘The Cost of Training for Modern Vessels’, and ‘What does a Tugmaster do for you?’.

Of the nine papers on the agenda for day two, several addressed subjects related to meeting environmental targets and improving economy. A presentation by Schottel described the newly developed Schottel Combi Drive, an innovative propulsion system for diesel-electric and hybrid power systems. The paper described a very compact Schottel azimuthing propulsion unit with a built in, water cooled electric motor and shaft brake that will be used in the first Svitzer ECOTUG.

Susan Hayman of Foss Maritime and Paul Jamer of Aspin Kemp Associates delivered ‘The Business Case for Going Green’, a paper describing many aspects of ‘Going Green’, including the latest news on the Foss hybrid Carolyn Dorothy. A second, retro-fitted tug will be in service by the end of the year with lithium polymer batteries instead of the lead acid battery pack in the Carolyn Dorothy.

‘Flexible Fuel Solutions for Tugs’ by Koen Vonk of Wartsila China Ltd addressed the use of LNG as fuel. ‘Saving Fuel on Tug Operations: Monitoring Consumption to Determine Best Practice’, presented by Richard Young of Svitzer UK and Royston Ltd, described the fuel monitoring systems installed on 15 tugs and results and benefits gained.

A comprehensive joint paper by Carsten S Wibel of Bugsier and Dr Michael Eckstein of MTU described ‘Germany’s New 200 Ton Bollard Pull Emergency Towing Vessel’, the Nordic. The paper revealed the innovative aspects of the vessel and the MTU engines installed that allow the tug to operate ‘closed down’ in hazardous atmospheric conditions. An interesting diversion was provided by Willem-Jan Hamers of ship delivery company Redwise Maritime Services entitled ‘Piracy Experiences and Counter Measures’, describing the many preparations necessary when passing through pirate infested waters.

In keeping with previous Tugnology and ITS conferences, the hospitality offered was excellent. On the evening prior to the conference a drinks reception was sponsored by Wartsila and lunch was provided on both days of the event by Uzmar Shipbuilding. MTU sponsored coffee and tea breaks. A dinner was organised during the evening of the first day and sponsored by Damen Shipyards.

For those delegates able to extend their stay, the Port of Antwerp sponsored a tour of the Antwerp enclosed dock system by boat for up to 100 persons. During the trip delegates were taken past the Port of Antwerp tug base and treated to a display by one of the fleet’s fire fighting tugs, No. 82, and one of the most recent additions to the fleet, No. 30. The latter is one of a series of locally built Voith tractors with a bollard pull of 57 tons. A further series of four additional 70 tons bollard pull tugs have been ordered from UNV in Spain.