TOWLINES

Work at the refinery at Pembroke required part of the dismantled facility be transferred to a ship offshore for onward transport. Firstly, its tug Willpower towed the barge Terra Marique from Hampshire to Pembroke then, assisted by Wilanne and Wiltango positioned the barge on the beach. Six of Williams Shipping’s flatbed trailers then spent two weeks shuttling sections to the beach and onto the barge before transfer to a larger ship offshore, the entire project lasting three weeks.

Rotterdam-based Tug Training & Consultancy (TTC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Maritime Academy (ADMA) covering the exclusive training of tug masters.
The MoU is described as a long-term strategic partnership that will see hundreds of tug masters in the Middle East region trained by certified trainers from TTC at ADMA’s state-of-the-art facilities. TTC is the only ISO 9001-certified tug training company in the world and sets exceedingly high standards for the training facilities it uses and ADMA is seen as meeting these standards in its use of a fully equipped and exclusive Maritime Simulator Centre.

In another sign of industry consolidation, Svitzer has announced its acquisition of Port Towage Amsterdam (PTA).
The deal sees Svitzer obtain 100% ownership of PTA along with the transfer of more than 30 employees, including crew from Iskes Towage and Salvage and nine shore-based staff from PTA. In addition, seven Iskes tugs including the innovative Eddy Tug Telstar now join Svitzer’s European fleet. Five Svitzer tugs already form part of the PTA fleet and Svitzer’s Fred Jeeninga now heads the Amsterdam operation.

Danish global towage operator Svendborg Bugser A/S has announced it has changed its name to NH Towage A/S
The name Svendborg Bugser has been synonymous with Niels Henriksen’s towage business since 1977 and its growth, including an increased focus on the international market has led to it choosing to change its name to “the more appropriate international” NH Towage. The company’s fleet includes six tugs between 14tbp and 42tbp, a crew transfer vessel and three barges, the largest with a capacity of 6,600dwt. It also employs around 70 people including eight at its Danish head office in Svendborg.

By Peter Barker