TOWLINES

The new ‘tailored’ service adds to Kotug Smit’s existing UK services at London and Liverpool and what it describes as ‘following the needs of many of its valued customers.’ The first towage assistance was provided by the ZP Boxer and SD Salvor which assisted the container vessel MOL Brilliance to Southampton’s DP World Container Terminal. The local port authority and pilots assisted the tug crews with preparation for the new service and Kotug Smit state it will be deploying tugs with bollard pulls between 60 and 95 tons at the port.

Robert Allan Ltd’s association with Turkish shipyards is once again demonstrated with the signing of a contract to build a customised version of its RAmparts ASD tug by Med Marine.

The order covers a batch of six designated the RAmparts 2300-MM, all due for delivery within the next two or three years. More than 150 of the RAmparts series are in service worldwide with various configurations available between 22m and 33m.

The Med Marine batch, which are classed by RINA have a length overall of 23m, a moulded beam of 10.9m and maximum draught 3.15m. They are described as multipurpose compact ASD tugs suitable for shiphandling, coastal towing and other general purpose duties and will have a bollard pull of around 50 tonnes.

There is further news from the towing scene at Southampton with the signing of a contract by Svitzer for the building of an 80tbp ASD escort tug with Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar.

Svitzer state the order re-emphasises its commitment to the port of Southampton and is intended to meet current and future customer requirements. The new tug, to be named Svitzer Adira will be a Robert Allan Ltd RAstar 2800 design and is due to enter service imminently.

Svitzer Adira is intended to provide ‘significantly enhanced escort towing’ and is configured for demanding escort operations and maximum efficiency handling large vessels in confined spaces which are a feature of the tight layout of Southampton. It will be powered by Caterpillar main engines producing 2,525kW and be fifi1 compliant.

It is always sad to hear news of the demise of veteran tugs that have survived far beyond their normal working life and recently Tugs, Towing & Offshore Newsletter reported that the 1946-built tug Gebr. Bever has been sold for demolition.

Gebr. Bever was built by the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij as the Dockyard III for service with the yard. After an earlier change of ownership, it was sold to Stichting Maritime Trust Dordrecht. Happily, other preserved survivors of these instantly recognisable examples of Dutch towing heritage are still to be seen in the Netherlands.

By Peter Barker