TUGS & SALVAGE

Fairplay Towage charter the Italian Fox – by Jack Gaston

16 years ago

Hamburg based tugowners Fairplay Towage have taken the anchorhandling ASD tug ‘Fox’ on a two year bare boat charter from Ocean Srl of Trieste. The deal was completed at the end of April and the tug sailed from Trieste in Fairplay colours under the name ‘Fairplay 27’.

Italian owned 'Fox' is on charter as the 'Fairplay 27'.

Fox is just one year old and a product of the Spanish Armon Shipyards. Measuring 36.00m in length, 11.61m beam, with a maximum draft of 5.40m, the tug has a bollard pull of 75 tons and maximum speed of 13.7 knots. The ASD propulsion system incorporates a pair of Schottel SRP 1515 propulsion units with controllable pitch propellers, powered by two Caterpillar 3516 diesels generating a total of 5,440bhp. A Schottel STT 110LK transverse bow thruster can produce 2.8 tons of thrust.

An attractive feature of the now Fairplay 27 is the comprehensive outfit of equipment aimed at achieving maximum versatility. The awesome inventory enables the tug to undertake, shiphandling, short sea towing operations, offshore anchorhandling, fire fighting, pollution control and other terminal duties. RINA has classed the vessel with the following notations; C+Hull, +Mach, FiFi 1, oil recovery, +Aut –UMS, Aut Port, Siys Neq 1.

Towing winches are fitted fore and aft. The twin drum forward winch, used for shiphandling, has a brake holding load of 1,500KN and carries two 100m long synthetic towlines. A ‘waterfall’ type deepsea winch aft has a 1,600KN brake load and is equipped with 900m of 52mm diameter galvanised steel wire towline/work-wire. The lower, split drum, used for harbour work, is equipped with two 300m towlines of the same material. One complete 900m spare towline is housed on a powered storage reel located in the hold.

A spacious after deck is equipped with protective cargo rails, a Palfinger marine crane, a 200 ton SWL stern roller and a full set of hydraulically operated tow pins and Karm line handling gear.

Fairplay will base the Fairplay 27 in Rotterdam where it can be used for shiphandling if necessary but with easy access to the North Sea. A charter has already been fixed to use the tug on a wind farm project in the Liverpool area, working in support of the floating crane Rambiz and barge towing.