TOWLINES

He was well respected among his peers and a lifelong supporter of water transport. Alan retired three years ago and a 51% holding in the company was taken over by stone specialists Foster Yeoman, the remainder staying with the Bennett family.

He died on 3 November after a protracted illness at the age of 68, leaving a wife and devoted family.

Abeille Liberte, the second new Emergency Towing Vessel, has arrived on station at Cherbourg where it replaces the older Abeille Languedoc under contract to the French Government. Sister to the first new vessel Abeille Boubon (Maritime Journal -May 2005), it is a vessel of 21,700bhp with a maximum free running speed of 19.9 knots operated by Les Abeille – part of the Bourbon Group. This high specification
enables the pair to assist and, if necessary, tow all types of ships in trouble including the largest existing tankers and container ships.

Belgian towage company URS has sold the shiphandling tug Westhinder to Multraship Towage & Salvage of Terneuzen. The 33m, 2,000bhp tug isone of a pair converted by URS to ASD propulsion some years ago, resulting in much improved manoeuvrability and a bollard pull of 28 tons ahead and 24 tons astern. Westhinder has been renamed Multratug 25 and will be employed in Bulgaria by the company’s new acquisition, Bourgas Tug Services (BTS) (Maritime Journal – September 2005).

Herman Sr BV of Zwijndrecht have sold their Shoalbuster 2208 Herman to The Holyhead Towing Company Ltd of North Wales. The 1,460bhp vessel was completed in May 2002 and is due to be replaced next year by another new Shoalbuster 2208, the Baloe. Delivery of the Herman is expected to take place in January 2006 when the tug will be renamed the Afon Lligwy.

By JACK GASTON