Brisk business for Damen at Seawork

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Seawork 15th - 17th June 2027	Speed@Seawork 14th June 2027	Seawork Conferences

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As always the Damen Shipyards stand at Seawork was a focal point for brisk business, with a continuous flow of prospective clients speaking to Damen’s sales staff and shipyard representatives.

Solent Towing order two tugs

One contract formally concluded during the show was for the delivery of two StanTugs (ST) for local operator Solent Towage, a subsidiary of Ostensjo Rederi of Haugesund in Norway. Solent Towage general manager Nick Jeffrey signed contracts for one ST1205 and one ST 1606. Both will be the latest version of two well established designs and will be fitted out for line-handling and towage at the local Exxon refinery at Fawley on Southampton Water. The new vessels will replace the existing craft Asterix and Ibex, the latter being a Damen ST 1405 that is a favourite among the crews and has given sterling service for 18 years and clocked up 36,000 engine-hours.

Mr Jeffrey and the technical manager of parent company Østensjø Rederi attended a ‘Damen Experience Sailing Day’ at Gorinchem in the Netherlands earlier this year and saw a selection of stock vessels on display from which the 1205 and 1606 were selected.

Arjen van Elk, Daem sales manager for North, West and South Europe commented: “We’ve been in discussion with Solent Towage for about a year but finalised the contracts on the night of Tuesday 26 June for signing at Seawork.”

Nick Jeffery commented: “We’ve chosen Damen based on past experience. The advantage of working with Damen is the delivery time – not just the price. Delivery from Damen is a lot quicker than elsewhere. Solent Towage operates escort tugs from the Fawley Oil Terminal,escorting and towing tankers inward and outward bound to the terminal. The vessels will be modified with 5m air draft to cope with working under jetties and will also feature rope guards for protection and selected electronics. Both vessels will be painted in Solent Towage corporate colours. The quick delivery of the vessels, facilitated by Damen Shipyard’s availability of stock vessels, combined with their reputation for sturdiness, quality of build and reliability, all contributed to the sale. Both vessels will be delivered by 1 October this year.”

And an instant sale to GPS !

The purchase of a Damen 27m Shoalbuster, the largest vessel on show at Seawork, by GPS Marine took even Damen by surprise. Casper Vermeulen, Damen sales manager Europe commented: “The managing director of GPS Marine, Mr John Spencer, came on to the stand and made us an offer for the Shoalbuster displayed on the pontoons. After half an hour of negotiation, we shook hands. Normally, we have a sales history with a client but this unexpected order from a company for its first Damen newbuild marks a milestone.”

A Shoalbuster 2709, the tug was launched earlier in the year at Damen Shipyard Hardinxveld

and ‘held on stock’ at Gorinchem. Builder’s trials took place in April and the vessel arrived at Seawork bearing only its Damen yard number as a temporary name. The 27.19m version of this popular Damen product is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512C main engines delivering a total of 2,238kW (3,042 bhp) to drive a pair of fixed pitch propellers via Reintjes gearboxes. The propellers rotate in high performance nozzles to give the tug a bollard pull of 38 tonnes and free running speed of 11 knots.

GPS Marine, based in the historic UK port of Chatham in Kent, operates in marine civil engineering, dredging and towage markets in the UK, Eire, and NW Europe. Mr John Spencer of GPS said that he is busy expanding the marine contracting business and was delighted to conclude a deal in the “right market at the right place”. He added: “I’d had a Damen vessel in mind for a while, but a Damen Shoalbuster is already known in the marketplace and therefore popular for chartering. It’s a standard, proven design, which will keep its value better than any other vessel in the marketplace.”

The special qualities of Damen’s Shoalbuster design, which increase its appeal to the marketplace, include its reputation for reliability and versatility, being capable of working on civil engineering and offshore wind farm projects, as well as anchor handling and towing.

Damen Shipyards Group announced the sale as the biggest vessel ever sold ‘on the spot’ at an exhibition. The vessel sailed back to the Netherlands immediately after the show closed and will be quickly modified to client’s specifications and will be delivered to GPS Marine as soon as possible.

Tug Anita G sold after the show

Just one week after Seawork closed the Damen sales team received confirmation that the Anita G, a Damen ST1606 displayed at Seawork alongside the Shoalbuster 2709, has also been purchased by a UK client. The tug was built in 2011 and operated by the MTS Group of Brixham and Falmouth until a similar but ‘customised’ tug (now known as MTS Vulcan 2) was available. Both 16.6m twin screw tug/workboats are from the Damen Shipyard Changde in China and fitted out with Caterpillar diesels developing 1,200 bhp for a bollard pull of 17 tonnes.

The tug displayed at Seawork, still in MTS livery and with the temporary name Anita G, has been purchased by S Walsh & Sons, based in Essex. It is understood that the vessel is urgently required for use on the Thames.