TOWLINES

The Panama Canal Authority has awarded a $158.3m contract to Spanish shipbuilders Astilleros Armon S.A. for the construction of 14 new tugs needed to handle the increase in traffic predicted when the current improvements to the waterway are complete. A tendering process was open to competition with the participation of 20 companies from countries in South America, Europe and Asia, and the contract awarded to the company offering the best value proposal. The contract involves the construction, testing and staggered delivery of 14 tractor type tugs of 70 tons bollard pull to an Armon design. The first vessel will be received within 600 days of the contract being awarded. A fleet of 36 tugs is employed to assist more than 14,000 transits through the Panama Canal every year. Once the new sections of the canal are in service, a larger number of tugs will be required because the new locks will not use locomotives to assist ships, as did the original facilities.

The well known UK tug/workboat Bay Protector, used to for many years to serve shipping in the Brixham and Lyme Bay area, has sailed from Brixham for the last time, bound for Algeciras in Spain. Originally constructed as a trawler and converted in 1987, the 26.7m vessel was powered by a 750 bhp Brons 8GVA diesel, giving it a bollard pull of 11 tons and speed of 10 knots. Bay Protector was purchased by the MTS Group [formerly Torbay & Brixham Shipping Agents] in 1994 and has given loyal service, carrying out the transfer of ships stores/spares, diving support, and local towage operations along the UK south coast. The vessel has been purchased by the Algeciras based diving company Atlántida Cleaning & Repair In-Water S.L. MTS will use one of the other tug/workboats from its fleet of 23 vessels operating out of the south coast ports to perform the duties previously undertaken by Bay Protector.

Royal Boskalis Westminster NV (Boskalis) has won the sole concession to provide harbour towage services in the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium through their subsidiary Smit Towage Northwest Europe. The seven year contract was awarded by Maatschappij van de Brugse Zeevaartinrichtingen NV – Port of Zeebrugge (MBZ) to URS, part of Smit Towage Northwest Europe. Based on expected traffic volumes, the concession represents a total turnover of approximately €90m. Smit subsidiary URS has a traditionally strong position in the seaports of Belgium. Zeebrugge mainly handles large seagoing container vessels, Ro-Ro carriers and LNG tankers. To accommodate an increase in the number of vessel movements and to be able to assist increasingly larger vessels, more powerful tugs will be deployed. Smit-URS will station six tugs and one fire-fighting vessel in the Port of Zeebrugge. Joachim Coens, the CEO of MBZ stated, “The quality of the offer and the technical capabilities of URS were decisive in the award of the concession. We are extremely satisfied with how the tender procedure was conducted and look forward to a good and efficient cooperation with URS.”