TOWLINES MARCH 2010 – by Jack Gaston

Construction on the two tugs began soon after a disastrous fire destroyed the yard’s main construction building July 2008. The 29.87m ASD tugs have EMD 12-710G7C-T2 main engines generating a total of 6,600bhp to achieve a bollard pull of 83.5tons ahead and 78 tons astern. The tugs will provide shiphandling and escort services at Sempra LNG’s new Cameron LNG terminal, located near Hackberry, Louisiana.

Svitzer Brightwell has been transferred from the UK shiphandling fleet to Svitzer’s Lisbon branch, Svitzer Lisboa SA, and renamed Svitzer Sines. An ASD tug of 3440bhp and 40 tons bollard pull, this vessel was one of the earliest generations of stern drive tug to be built in Britain. A product of the Richards Shipyard in Lowestoft, the 28.8m tug was completed in 1986 for the Alexandra Towing Company Ltd as the Brightwell for use at Felixstowe. The tug continued to serve Alexandra’s various successors operating in various ports around the UK prior to the takeover of Adsteam by Svitzer in 2006.

Durban Southern African Shipyards have launched the second of seven new Voith tractor tugs for the Transnet National Ports Authority. The tug, named Orca, is destined for the new port of Ngqura where it will join sister,ship Shasa, which is already in service (MJ – December 2009). Orca has a designed bollard pull of 70 tons and is due to be handed over to its owners in Port Elizabeth in March 2010.

The new anchorhandling-utility tug Neptun 10 is due to be handed over at the end of the month to its Dutch owners. Neptun 10 is the third vessel of its type to be built by the Far East shipyard of Zhongshan Jinhui Ji for the Landfall Transport & Towage BV/Neptune Marine Services BV joint venture. The twin screw vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3516 TA diesels rated at 4,200bhp (total) for a bollard pull of approximately 55 tons. Once completed the vessel will be registered in Gibraltar and depart for western Europe.