KOTUG and Teekay form joint venture

To be known as KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd, the purpose of the new joint venture company is to pursue new business opportunities in the Australian towage market.

Ard-Jan Kooren, CEO of KOTUG explained, “We believe there are new opportunities for trusted and experienced companies like Teekay and KOTUG to provide superior towage services at existing and greenfield terminal developments. The joint venture between Teekay and KOTUG will bring together complementary skills from each partner. At KOTUG, we have many years of practical and technical experience in the towage field, including the deployment of our highly maneuverable ‘RotorTug’ technology. Combined with Teekay’s worldwide reputation for operational leadership and deep knowledge and expertise in the Australian crewing and ship management markets, this results in a strong partnership to pursue new business.”

“The Australian market for towage services is growing as new LNG projects begin production, adding to the ongoing growth in Australian coal and iron ore export shipments, commented David Parmeter, managing director of Teekay Shipping Australia Pty Ltd. “Since 2002, Teekay has operated in the Australian towage market at both Hay Point and Port Hedland, where we currently manage 12 tugs and have experience with several KOTUG ‘RotorTug’ vessels. With our new JV company, we are formalizing a partnership that will deliver top tier towage services for the Australian market.”

Under the terms of the JV agreement, Teekay and KOTUG will both continue to separately manage respective existing operations in various Australian ports. The new company KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd will be located in Perth, Australia. Business Development Manager for KT Maritime Services Australia, Jamie Anderson, will be responsible for developing new business with potential customers.

TheTeekay Corporation is responsible for managing and operating consolidated assets of over $11bn, comprised of approximately 150 liquefied gas, offshore, and conventional tanker assets. With offices in 16 countries and approximately 6,400 seagoing and shore based employees, Teekay provides a comprehensive set of marine services to the world’s leading oil and gas companies, along with its reputation for safety, quality and innovation.

RotorTug (KST BV), the company responsible for the design and production of the Rotor Tug, recently announced that a design contract has been signed between Elizabeth Ltd, a holding company, and Robert Allan Ltd for the design of a new ‘ART 80-32 RotorTug’. In the future all new ‘RotorTug’ designs will be from Robert Allan Ltd. This latest new RotorTug variant will be 32m long and have a minimum bollard pull of 80 tonnes over the bow and stern.

It is the intention of Elizabeth Ltd to place an order for the construction of four of these tugs. Those vessels will be chartered by Kotug but at this stage it has not been revealed where the new RotorTugs will be deployed.

Two Rotor Tugs, the RT Tough and RT Force, have been operating at Port Hedland in Australian on charter to Teekay. The vessels have been operating as part of the Teekay fleet and assisting in developing improved methods of handling the very large bulk ore carriers frequenting the massive ore export facility.