TUGS & SALVAGE

French harbour fleets receive an eight tug boost

18 years ago

The first six tugs of an eight vessel series have been deployed around the French harbour tug fleets now operated by the Boluda Group. An order was originally placed with the French shipyard Chantier Piriou of Concarneau for the construction of these vessels by Les Abeille, the harbour towage division of Group Bourbon. Les Abeille and the harbour tugs fleets were subsequently sold in 2007 to the Spanish owned Boluda Group. Construction and delivery continued and tugs already named and nearing completion were renamed and given the familiar Boluda VB prefix.

To date six vessels have been delivered

and

are in operation.

VB Octeville, VB Trouville

and

VB Yport are now part of the shiph

and

ling fleet in Le Havre; VB Camargue

and

VB Rhone were deployed to Fos, Marseille,

and

the latest delivery, VB Adroit,

is now in Dunkerque.

In each case the arrival of these virtually identical stern drive tugs, each with 70 tons bollard pull, has given the local fleets a considerable boost in power

and

efficiency. For example, in Le Havre the Boluda fleet is now made up of tugs with 65 or 70 tons bollard pull with an average age of 5 years. The remaining pair, VB Esterel

and

VB Crau, will be delivered by the end of this year

and

are also destined for Fos, Marseille.

All eight tugs are virtually identical in design

and

are equipped for fire fighting to FiFi 1 st

and

ard, oil recovery

and

pollution control. The azimuthing stern drive (ASD) design is for a vessel 30.30m in length overall, with a moulded beam of 10.40m

and

a maximum draft of 4.50m. Below the waterline the hull is fitted with a large central skeg, bilge keels

and

a transverse bow thruster. A semi-raised foredeck affords some protection in heavy weather

and

the hull is heavily fendered, with two cylindrical rubber sections fitted around the bow

and

forward quarters, one above the other. The arrangement is particularly suitable for push-pull operation. Further rectangular sections protect the sides

and

stern.

The 70 tons bollard pull

and

free running speed of 13 knots is achieved by a propulsion package comprising two ABC 8MDZC main engines coupled to Schottle SRP 1515 fully steerable propulsion units. These main engines are rated at 1,945 kW each, giving a total of about 5,285 bhp.