Damen seals compact tug order for Polish owner

The vessel, currently under construction at Damen Shipyards Changde in China, is a compact ASD Tug 2111, one of the builder’s latest models.

“As sea-going ships continue to increase in size, new challenges are arising in ports,” said Siebe Cieraad, product portfolio manager, at the time of its launch in 2023. “Tugs are required to operate safely with less space, at the same time needing increased power to perform.

“This 21m harbour tug with 50-ton bollard pull is therefore a very exciting addition to our portfolio.”

Damen’s tugs are offered to a standard design, allowing for a consistency of production and equipment while providing the customer with options to suit its needs. The new addition for WUŻ is being prepared with a winterisation package, fifi1 capabilities and other modifications enabling it to operate at Port of Gdańsk LNG terminal.

WUŻ Port and Marine Services has an extensive association with Damen’s range of tugs, the owner’s fleet including seven vessels to no fewer than five designs from the builder’s ASD Tug range. Since 2016 WUŻ has followed a mainly Dutch theme following earlier Polish and Russian-built vessels in its fleet.

Most recent deliveries for WUŻ from Damen include the ASD Tug 2813 Ares and ASD Tug 2811 variants Mars and Pax, all delivered in 2023.

Clocking up orders

Damen’s tug range is dominated by vessels with stern drive configurations, including both azimuth thrusters and conventional fixed-shaft arrangements.

The ranges of size and power provides potential clients with the ideal vessel for their requirements and the ASD Tug 2111 is only beaten in its ‘compactness’ by the 30tbp ASD Tug 1810, both suited to locations where manoeuvring space is at a minimum but still requiring a respectable bollard pull.

Damen appears confident of the potential for a tug of this size with around 10 ASD Tug 2111s noted in its build list, around half of which have now been delivered or are allocated.

Deliveries so far have been as far away as Spain, Germany and New Zealand and a UK order of note concerns an example currently under construction for Portland Harbour Authority, the contract signed at Seawork 2024 in Southampton earlier this year.

Specifications

The specification sheet for the standard model describes the tug as suitable for towing and mooring with options providing it with escort, oil pollution control and fire-fighting duties along with optional Lloyd’s Register or BV classification.

The 21.02 LOA vessel has an overall beam of 11.13 and draught aft of approximately 4.9m with performance figures including 50tbp ahead, 45tbp astern and vessel speed 10.7kn.

Looking into the engine room, power is provided by twin Caterpillar 3512C HD TA/C main engines developing 2,760kW (3,702bhp) at 1,600rpm in total, transmitting power to twin Kongsberg US165S thrusters with 2.4m diameter propellers.

Auxiliary power is provided by two 50kVA, 400V, 50Hz shaft generators and a Caterpillar C4.4 generator set.

Built-in Kongsberg slipping clutches come as standard with the option for IMO Tier III compliant exhaust emissions and tank capacities include 32.5m³ of fuel oil and 6.8m³ of fresh water, additional tankage for foam, dispersant and urea is also an option.

Of particular interest is the deck machinery layout, which adopts the innovative arrangement whereby the towing winch is in a protected location within the accommodation at main deck level beneath the wheelhouse.

Shiphandling operations with ASD tugs usually involve towing over the bow and this arrangement allows the towline to be fed over the top of the winch drum and through a towing staple on the foredeck or underneath the drum and aft for towing over the stern.

The towing winch itself is hydraulically driven with a double drum providing a pull of up to 15 tons and a brake holding force of 150 tons.

Deck equipment options include: towing pins; aft and foredeck capstan; aft towing hook and deck crane and with the towing winch located on the main deck, accommodation for six persons in three air conditioned cabins is provided below main deck along with a galley/mess.