Dutch Blue arrives in style

This was the maiden voyage for the Dutch Blue, which is owned by Holland Offshore Rederij BV of Werkendam, part of the Holland Shipyards Group.

The tug was buillt in China at the MLC TongBao shipyard on the shores of the Yangtze river under ABS class rules and for operation under the Dutch flag. It is a versatile vessel intended to give the owners some very real capability in the market for which it is designed. Dutch Blue is a 52.08m long vessel with a breadth of 13.20m and design draft of 4.50m with the configuration of a relatively small anchorhandling tug supply vessel. The forecastle is a full two decks high and accommodation is provided for a maximum of 37 persons. Under the class rules the tug measures 1,159 gross tonnes and 935 deadweight tonnes.

The twin screw propulsion system comprises two Wartsilla 8L20 main engines delivering a combined 4,300 bhp at 1,000 rpm. This arrangement gives Dutch Blue a bollard pull in excess of 50 tonnes and a speed of 11.2 knots.

Tank spaces are provided to accommodate 550m3 of fuel oil, 360m3 of fresh water and 290m3 of ballast water.

Fire fighting equipment includes two monitors, each capable of 600 m3/hr, mounted on a gantry above the wheelhouse. A knuckle boom, hydraulically operated crane mounted at boat deck level has a maximum capacity of 6 tonnes at 15m radius.

The towing winch, installed within the superstructure, has a maximum brake holding load of 180 tonnes and a maximum line pull of 100 tonnes at 6 m/min. A stern roller is fitted and one set of tow pins and line handling gear located on the centreline. The area forward of the stern roller is armoured and the remainder of the work deck has a protective wood covering. The after deck has a clear area for cargo transportation of 275m2 and tubular cargo rails are fitted in the normal way.

Dutch Blue left Batam in early September on her maiden voyage with pontoon NP 328 and its deck cargo bound for Rotterdam via Mauritius, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope and making a call in Tema, Ghana, for bunkers and stores. While in Ghana Dutch Blue was presented to the local market. Holland Shipyards has recently opened a sales branch in the country, and the Dutch Blue could be a perfect fit for the young offshore market that is still taking off in the area.

Technical specification

Length overall: 52.08m

Beam: 13.20m

Draft: 4.50m

Bollard pull: 50 tonnes

Speed: 11.2 knots