TUGS & SALVAGE

TOWLINES

22 years ago

Commercial and military boatbuilder VT Halmatic ofPortchester has recently secured a contract to build three WB18 workboats for an un-named overseas operator. The 18.9m steel workboats will be similar to Prince Rock , delivered in 2004 to Cattewater Harbour Commissioners and will be delivered in early 2006. Powered by twin 600hp main engines the vessels will have a bollard pull of over 15 tonnes and free running speeds of over 10 knots. A bow thruster has been incorporated to assist manoeuvrability and a 3 tonne deck hydraulic crane will be fitted.

Alphonse Letzer is one of eight tugs in the Euro-Tug pool.

A new organisation Euro-Tugs has been established by URSOcean Towage of Antwerp and Hamburg-based Fairplay Towage to market their coastal and long-distance towage services.

The two companies offer towage expertise and a pool of tugs with 50 to 100 tons bollard pull.

Euro-Tugs will operate in the international towage and offshore and civil construction markets and other sectors in European waters and beyond. The pool is currently offering eight tugs, including the 94 tonnes bollard pull Alphonse Letzer , Fairplay IX and Fairplay XIV (55& 58 tonnes BP), the two ASD vessels Fairplay 22 & 23 (52tonnes BP) and the Boxer and Fighter (50 tonnes BP).

Euro-Tugs can be contacted at: – Terwenakker 42-44, NL 3011 XS Rotterdam – phone +31 (0)10 28183 30 – fax +31 (0)10 28183 31 – Email; info@euro-tugs. com The tug/workboat Intrepide B , owned by D Little Engineering Ltd , unfortunately sank at its moorings in Fishguard harbour in bad weather in early February after striking debris on the seabed.

Intrepide B , a vessel of 27m and 1285bhp, has been in service with the company for just two years following an extensive re-construction project by the Macduff Group ( Maritime Journal – April 2003).

Wijsmuller Salvage has refloated the vessel and carried out temporary repairs to enable it to be towed back to Macduff for refurbishment.

Rotterdam-based Fairmount Marine has once again increased their order with the Japanese Niigata Shipyard for 200 tonnes bollard pull, long-range anchor handling tugs from three to four.

The first two, Fairmount Sherpa and Fairmount Summit , will be delivered in May and October of this year. A third vessel, Fairmount Alpine , will join the fleet in May 2005 and this latest addition, Fairmount Glacier , in October 2005. All four tugs will operate under the new OneAllianz consortium, working with similar new vessels of the Semco fleet.