Shetland’s replacement tug saga settled

The saga of Shetland’s harbour tug provision including for Sullom Voe oil terminal has a somewhat chequered history dating back to 2007 when the council ordered the Spanish-built tugs Solan and Bonxie. The two new vessels, intended to replace older tugs were dogged with problems however including late delivery and were eventually sold to new Italian owners.

Various alternatives were considered and with the decision to replace one of the existing tugs Tirrick, the council went to the market and chartered the 2015-built Damen ASD 3212 tug Multratug 29 from Dutch towage company Multraship. The contract included an option to buy the vessel at a later date, local media reporting a price of £7.6m if brought after six months of operation. The capital cost of purchasing the tug will be met by external funding but it is claimed this will be recovered naturally through income from harbour dues.

It was suggested that buying the tug would be a more cost-effective solution than continuing with the charter for the following three years. The harbour is council-owned and consideration of the options sparked an intense debate among council members with arguments being put forward for and against the plan to purchase Multratug 29. One proposal was that the decision be delayed considering the potential effects of possible future tendering of towage services at the port.

It was reported that a business case had been made and those involved were reassured with the suitability of Multratug 29. The Council’s harbour board subsequently recommended the sale should proceed following positive reports on the vessel’s performance from pilots and the tug’s skippers. That advice has now been realised with the decision to buy the tug.

By Peter Barker