ITC sells Sirocco and Sumatras

The Sirocco was sold on 6 July and handed over in Tuzla to Arfina Navigation SA of Turkey, to be managed by ATA Salvage and bearing the new name Izmir Bull.

Sumatras ended its career with ITC in style, arriving in Rotterdam in mid-July after an epic tow from Dalian, China, with a delivery of four brand new barges. The 19,200 dwt submersible barge AMT Challenger was loaded with sister barge AMT Commander and the offshore barges UR 98 and UR 99.

Sumatras first towed both AMT barges as a double tow from Shanghai to Dalian, where the barges were loaded onto each other and the two additional barges added. During the last week of March, the convoy sailed towards Singapore, where an ‘offshore port limits’ call was made to take additional bunkers and to inspect the cargo. In the East China Sea, the convoy encountered some days of force 8/9 winds but they did not have much influence on the towing speed. The tug and tow passed through the Malacca Strait at full piracy alert and crossed the Indian Ocean to Port Louis, Mauritius for a second offshore stop and crew change.

During the passage around the Cape of Good Hope, the convoy ran into high swells and seas of up to 6m in height and by late May the Cape was safely astern and the convoy headed north. Throughout the remainder of the voyage, Sumatras met a wide range of conditions varying from favourable currents enabling the towing speed to increase to 7 knots, to force 7-8 winds and heavy seas. It was only after passing the north coast of Portugal and heading into the Bay of Biscay that conditions improved.

Sumatras’ arrival in Rotterdam at the end of a 14,500 mile tow marked a fitting end to the tug’s 35 year career under the ownership of ITC. It was also fitting the the tow was carried out for Augustea Anchor Marine Transportation, a long standing and frequent customer for the ‘S Wind’ class tugs.

Sumatras, was the last of the original series of six identical 55m, 102 tons bollard pull, oceangoing tugs built for ITC in 1977 by Matsuura Tekko, Higashino in Japan. The tug has been sold to new owners based in Trinidad and Tobago.