Fire fighters Multratug 26 and 27 in service

The festivities took place in the ferry port at Terneuzen and Multratug 26 was formally named by Yvonne Nuijten and Multratug 27 by Desiree Muller.

Contracts for two new Damen ASD Tug 2810 vessels from Damen Shipyards were signed during Multraship’s annual client gathering in Terneuzen on 18 April of this year. Both tugs were completed from ‘stock’ at Damen Shipyard in Galati, Romania to ensure rapid delivery and were handed over in July as planned. The pair arrived in the Schelde on 4 August after making a fast passage under their own power and were rapidly put into service.

The tugs are virtually identical ‘standard’ vessels built to the increasingly popular ASD Tug 2810 design and equipped with well tried equipment to the owner’s specifications. They are classed by Lloyds Register of Shipping with the notations; +100 A1 Tug, Fire Fighting Ship 1(2400 cu/m/ht), + LMC UMS IWS and will operate under the Dutch flag.

Multratug 26 and its sister ship are 28.67m in length overall with a beam of 10.43m and a draft (aft) of 4.80m. In common with many vessels in the Damen ASD range, the basic design is one established after considerable testing and incorporates improvements made in the light of many years operational experience and customer feedback. The deck layout of the ASD 2810 is a good example. Decks fore and aft, along with the bulwarks, have been kept as free from obstruction and extraneous fittings as possible and make for ease of maintenance.

A pair of Caterpillar 3516C TA HD/C main engines are rated at 3,730kW each at 1,600 rpm (total 5,000 bhp) to drive Rolls-Royce US 205 azimuthing propulsion units incorporating fixed pitch propellers of 2,400mm diameter. During pre-delivery trials the tugs achieved a bollard pull of 60 tonnes ahead and 55 tonnes pulling astern and a free running speed in either direction of 13.4 knots.

Electrical power is supplied by two Caterpillar C4.4 TA auxiliary generators rated at 107 kVA, 230/400v 50Hz. Hydraulic power for the deck equipment is provided by pumps driven by the main engines. A separate diesel powered fire pump is located in the engineroom and capable of delivering 2,400 m3/hr for the fire fighting system. The latter comprises two remotely operated water/foam monitors located forward of the wheelhouse.

Hydraulically powered towing winches are installed fore and aft. The forward two speed winch is combined with the anchor windlass and fitted with a single ‘split’ drum with a maximum brake load of 150 tonnes. A similar single drum winch is fitted aft and both winches have a maximum line pull of 35 tonnes at 9.2 m/min and a slack rope speed of 28m/min.

Air conditioned and insulated accommodation is available for a maximum of eight persons in two single and three double berth cabins.

Multratug 26 and 27 will be mostly engaged in harbour towage activities in the Zeeland Seaports and in the Antwerp area. In addition to their primary duties, they will also be on standby, ready to respond in the event of fire or explosion related emergencies in the western and central part of the River Scheldt. That is part of a February 2013 commitment entered into with the Zeeland Safety Region to keep two FiFi 1 tugs on standby.