Tow lines

Designed to handle a new series of stone barges, the 35.25m tugs will have a bollard pull of almost 60 tons and incorporate ‘Articouple’ pin and ladder style couplings.

The latter will enable the tug to engage a deep ‘notch’ in it’s barge to operate as an articulated tug and barge unit (ATB). Six tugs have been ordered and this first vessel is due for delivery in October of this year.

While awaiting the delivery of newbuildings from China, Svitzer has chartered the newly built Italian tug Davide Primo for its Scandinavian operation. Due for delivery early in July at the yard of Rosetti Marino SpA, Ravenna, it will be renamed Svitzer Ran and be operated under the Danish flag. The 32.5m tug will have a bollard pull of 82 tons.

Svitzer already has a number of tugs on charter while awaiting deliveries from their extensive newbuilding programme destined for the UK and elsewhere.

Alfons Håkans based in Turku, Finland has acquired the Dutch built ASD tug Triton to reinforce its tug fleet stationed at Hanko. Triton (formerly Amber) was completed by Damen Shipyards in 2005 for operators in Ventspils, Latvia. The tug is classed Lloyds +100A1 Ice class 1B and powered by Caterpillar 3516 main engines producing a total of approximately 5,000bhp for a bollard pull of 55.5 tons. With this performance Triton rates as one of the most powerful tugs in Finland.

The Dutch pusher tug Rhenus Schub 2 (formerly Veerhaven III & Wasserbuffle) sank south-west of the Greek Island of Sapienza (Pelepones) on 3 June whilst being towed from Dordrecht to Constantza. In spite of efforts to save the vessel by towing tug Europe the vessel become flooded in bad weather and a heavy swell. The tug was to be employed by the Rhenus Partnership on the lower Danube but could not be transferred through the inland waterways system due to its beam.