Kotug in Celebration Mood

During the traditional and well attended ‘Herring Party’ in Rotterdam on 6 May the company held an official and spectacular launch ceremony for the recently converted E-KOTUG that re-entered service earlier in the year (MJ – April 2012). RT Adriaan was formally commissioned by Mrs Alexandra van Huffelen vice-mayor for ‘Sustainability’ for the City of Rotterdam.

Mrs van Huffelen said in her speech, “I am incredibly proud that Rotterdam entrepreneurs like Mr Ard-Jan Kooren together with us are willing to pick up the challenge to transform Rotterdam into a clean, green and healthy city. With the E-KOTUG RT Adriaan, Rotterdam is the proud owner of the first hybrid tugboat in Europe. I therefore congratulate all Kotug staff very much with this great milestone.”

Just a few days later on 12 June, at another ‘Herring Party, this time’ in Bremerhaven, Germany, Kotug held a christening ceremony for two of it’s latest generation of ‘RotorTugs’, RT Darwin and RT Tasman. Built at the ASL shipyard in Singapore, each 84 tonnes bollard pull tug has three main engines generating a total of 6,500 bhp to power its unique triple unit propulsion system.

When Kotug first became active in Bremerhaven in 1999, it started with four first generation ‘RotorTugs’ together with tugs with other propulsion systems. With the RT Tasman and RT Darwin, Kotug now has a fleet of eight Rotor Tugs operating in the port. As with all of the christening ceremonies, each tug was duly named by a lady sponsor related to important clients or business associates in the area concerned.

In April of this year Kotug took delivery of three new Damen ASD 2810 tugs. Those vessels are now in full Kotug livery, with SD Rebel and SD Rover deployed in Rotterdam and SD Ranger in the port of Hamburg.

Formal and well attended christening ceremonies have now taken place for all three tugs. The Hamburg event was held on 14 June for the SD Ranger and the sponsor was Mrs.Susan Beumer, who has worked in the administration department of Kotug for ten years.

SD Rebel and SD Rover were named some weeks earlier on 11 May in Rotterdam. The theme of that ceremony was the long term financial partnership Kotug enjoys and the lady sponsors were Mrs Ingrid Leusen, wife of Martin Leusen of ABN AMRO, and Mrs Nelleke Boersema, wife of Renze Boersema of Rabobank.

All four ceremonies serve as a reminder of the enormous progress Kotug has made over a period of two decades. Each of the tugs christened replaced older outdated vessels, many of which have given long and reliable service and enabled the company to grow into a well respected international organisation.