TOWLINES

The latest three additions comprise the second RAstar 2800 tug Petra 3, the RAscal 1500 line-handling tugs Aldaem (pictured right) and the 16.7m, 20 knot twin-screw Camarc UK Ltd designed pilot boat Al Sanad. This trio follows the earlier delivery of the first RAstar 2800 Hashim 3.

Small port tugs often lead a life of relative obscurity but the Port of Shoreham’s Adurni has recently been in the news with two important assignments. Working for Intermarine the port’s marine team moved a £1m building for Brighton Marina Yacht Club (one of the largest floating buildings in the UK) from the east side of the marine to its permanent moorings on the west side. It was a challenging move due to the building’s shape and the confined route to its new home between two piles with only 11cm to spare at each end.

Adurni has also assisted delivery of parts for the Brighton i360 tower. The tower sections were transported by tug and barges from Hollandia Infra’s steelworks at Krimpen a/d Ijssel Rotterdam and landed directly onto the beach.

MedMarine have taken delivery of the first of a series of eight 45tbp tugs from Turkey’s Ereğli Shipyard. The Safi Port is built to a Robert Allan Ltd design and the series are 24m in length and powered by twin Caterpillar 3512C diesels driving Schottel SRP 1012 fixed-pitch thrusters. Towing winches are provided on both fore and aft decks along with a deck crane and fire-fighting capability. Accommodation is provided for six persons.

Meanwhile MedMarine are in the process of receiving a series of six slightly more powerful Robert Allan RAmparts 2600W ASD tugs. This series are each powered by twin Wärtsilä 9L20 main engines driving Rolls-Royce 205 azimuth thrusters producing a bollard pull figure of 60 tonnes.

As this edition of Tugs & Towing was being written it was reported that the Spanish Salvamento Maritimo ETV Don Inda (built 2006, 228tbp) had rendered towage assistance to a disabled container ship around 18 miles west of Cape Finisterre. The 300m long MSC Ajaccio was reported to be within three miles of land before the tug made a connection with the vessel and towed it to safety.

The container ship had requested assistance when it lost power and bad weather hampered the initial response to the vessel off Cape Touriñán. The MSC Ajaccio was on passage from Las Palmas to Rotterdam with 28 crew members on board at the time. It was later reported as moored near A Coruña in Spain with no injuries or environmental impacts reported.

By Peter Barker