South Africa’s Hippo hits the water

The tugs are being built by Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) and will replace two existing harbour and coastal tugs De Neys and De Mist built in 1969 and 1978 respectively. These will remain in service until the delivery of the second new ATD 2909, to be named Iyathi (Buffalo in English) due in January 2016. Formerly known as Farcoean Marine the yard delivered two Damen Stan Tugs to the SA Navy in 2006, now in service with the Naval Harbour Master for port operations in Simon’s Town.

Being constructed in South Africa with a local workforce is in keeping with government imperatives to create and maintain local job opportunities and the tugs will assist the SA Navy’s current and future fleet of vessels under all-weather, and day and night conditions within the confines of South African ports and in coastal waters.

They take on a particularly robust form including rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, extra brackets and extra fendering and they are further outfitted with SA Navy equipment to ensure duplication and maintenance savings. The pair are built to Lloyd’s Register classification with the notation +100 A1 TUG[+] LMC UMS and also comply with SAMSA Class VIII regulations.

Main dimensions are LOA 28.74m, beam OA 9.98m and draught 4.8m with main tank capacities fuel oil 41.1m3 and fresh water 10.5m3. Power is provided by two Caterpillar 3512C TA HD/C diesels producing in total 3,000bkW (4,023bhp) at 1,600 RPM driving two Rolls-Royce US 205 CP azimuth thrusters with propeller diameters of 2,200mm. Performance figures are 40tbp and a speed of 12 knots (minimum). The hull profile is a standard ATD configuration with thrusters forward and a large skeg/fin aft directly beneath the towing winch.

Auxiliary equipment includes two Caterpillar C4.4 TA, 380V, 107kVA, 50Hz gensets, Stirling bilge and fuel oil transfer pumps, Alfa Laval fuel oil purifier and Separ fuel oil filters. The fire-fighting installation comprises a main engine driven 1,400m3/hr 10 bar pump supplying two 600m3/hr monitors and a 200m3/hr water spray.

Kraaijeveld supply the main deck winches consisting of hydraulic anchor winch on the foredeck and hydraulic double-drum towing winch aft, the latter has a pull of 10t at 30m/min and 100t brake load. A Mampaey 65t towing hook complements the towing arrangement and completing the deck machinery is a Palfinger PK 11001M hydraulic 1.65t crane.

All accommodation is above main deck comprising single cabins for the captain and chief engineer and three double crew cabins. A pantry, mess/dayroom and sanitary facilities are also above main deck and the wheelhouse and all the accommodation are heated and air-conditioned.

By Peter Barker