The 12m long and 4m wide Bagalut draws 2.2m and went into operation after completion by a group of 26 Nobiskrug trainees and students, supported when needed by specialist staff members and by management and other engineering and administrative bodies. Planning and work got underway in 2015 and the design and construction phase of the project, codenamed “Popeye”, was completed earlier this year after trials on the Kiel Canal.
“This has been something entirely new for Nobiskrug”, project leader Robert Stephan told Maritime Journal. “For the first time our trainees have organised themselves into an inter-disciplinary project team to design and build their own ship”.
He added that because there was a real need for such a tug in the yard, the construction project had served two main aims. Nobiskrug had been able to meet its educational obligations by providing practical experience while getting the trainees thoroughly used to the tug – a great advantage for maintenance. The project had also served to put the yard’s internal processes and interface links to the test, he said.
The punchy Bagalut displaces 25 tons and has a bollard pull of 3.2 tons. It is driven by a Volvo Penta DH90 engine of nominal 500hp and has a Schottel SRP320 rudder propeller rotating through 360̊ allowing the tug to turn on the spot.
It is mainly for use by Nobiskrug but will also be available for use by the yard’s two sisters Lindenau Werft and German Naval Yards Kiel further along the canal and with others on the Kiel Canal, the Nobiskrug project team told this correspondent
A yard spokeswoman said Bagalut had been designed as a one-off project. “However, because of the generally positive feed-back, along with the clear educational value for our trainees, Nobiskrug is very open to other practical trainee projects”. She stressed however that no final decision on further new projects had yet been taken.
Nobiskrug has built well over 750 vessels since it was founded in 1905. Its main business today is the development and construction of large, individually manufactured mega yachts of up to 400m in length and it is a world leader in the sector.
In addition, however, the yard specialises in the refit and conversion of yachts, naval ships and public authority vessels and it is active in Germany as well as globally in repair and maintenance.
Together with the sister yards in Kiel, Nobiskrug is part of German Naval Yards Holdings. It has an integrated management and administration structure and employs some 1,000 people in the region.
By Tom Todd
