Targe Towing withdraw from the Thames

Targe initially became involved in shiphandling in the lower reaches of the London’s river in 2005 on securing a contract from BP to manage a three tug fleet at the Coryton oil refinery. The company was already engaged by BP to operate their tug fleet at Hound Point terminal on the Firth of Forth. Three brand new Damen ASD 3211 tanker handling tugs, Castle Point, Corringham and Stamford, were built for use at Coryton.

In 2007 Petroplus took over the Coryton facility and Targe Towing made a decision to purchase all three tugs from BP and successfully won a long term contract to provide towage services for the new owners.

As business at Coryton diminished, in 2010 the number of tugs required at the facility was reduced to two. Targe entered the ship towage market elsewhere in the Port of London with the third tug and introduced some additional tonnage in an attempt to make the venture viable. Competition from the existing tug operator Svitzer was stiff and finding new business was difficult.

The Coryton plant went into administration in January of this year and Targe was notified in July that the tugs would no longer be required from 15 August. Mr Tom Wooley, managing director of Targe Towing, explained to Maritime Journal that the company had started to plan for such an eventuality some time ago and a decision was made to put two of the tugs, Castle Point and Stamford, up for sale. Within a few days the sale of both vessels to Svitzer had been confirmed.

All three of the original trio are reported to be in excellent condition and a credit to their crews. Targe has transferred the remaining tug, Corringham, to Scotland, where it will become part of Hound Point fleet to be deployed as required. The company also has two tugs operating in Aberdeen and two in Dundee.

Svitzer took over their new acquisitions almost immediately. Castle Point is now based in the Tees and will be renamed Svitzer Castle. Stamford has gone to Felixstowe as the Svitzer Stamford to replace the tug Melton, which has gone to Avonmouth.

The former Targe/BP tugs are a more recent and more powerful version of the Melton, Bentley and Lady Madeleine trio built by Damen in 1999 and taken over by Svitzer with the Adsteam fleet. Castle Point and her sisters have a more powerful propulsion system, with MAK 6M25 main engines generating a total of 5,310 bhp to drive a pair of Rolls-Royce Aquamaster US 255CP propulsion units. The latter incorporate 2,700mm diameter controllable pitch propellers, obviating the need for slipping clutches and giving the tugmaster precise control of thrust from each unit. On trials the tugs achieved a bollard pull ahead of 66.7 tonnes, 64 tonnes pulling astern, and an almost equal free running speed ahead and astern of approximately 14 knots.