Damen’s ‘next generation’ tugs in the news

A common factor for shiphandling tug owners expanding their fleets, providing a combination of more efficient vessels and greater power, is responding to port expansion to handle a greater number of larger vessels, a particular trend with container ships.

While ships are getting bigger the size of harbours often remains the same, which is the case in Poland. More powerful tugs are thus required, but operating in even smaller spaces restricts the degree they can increase in size themselves commensurate with their increase in power.

Tug designers and builders have for some time provided a solution to this with what has become known as the ‘compact tug’: packing more power into smaller hulls thanks partly to physically smaller engines and propulsion systems. This solution is the answer to both cases mentioned here.

WUZ Port and Marine Services is a long-standing Damen customer, the Dutch shipbuilder having now supplied seven of its fleet of 17 vessels. Over a period of a few months the Polish tug owner, the largest such in the country, has expanded its fleet to welcome three new additions, completing an order placed earlier in 2023.

The trio are all around 28m in length, the first two being the ASD Tug 2813 Ares and the ASD Tug 2811 Mars, both delivered earlier this year by Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. The third, the ASD Tug 2811 Pax, is a product of the Albwardy Damen shipyard in Sharjah, UAE and was christened recently in Rotterdam.

With all three (from two different shipyards) now gathered together, the opportunity was taken for a ‘flag-raising ceremony’ at their home port of Gdansk. The occasion was attended by a large group of Polish and international associates and company employees, who collectively welcomed the vessels into the fleet.

The vessels may appear similar but Damen’s generic specification sheets for the designs indicate notable differences: the ASD Tug 2811 is 28.57m LOA on a beam of 11.43m providing a bollard pull of 60t and accommodation for eight persons. The ASD Tug 2813 meanwhile is 27.59m LOA with a beam of 12.83m and provides a greater bollard pull of 83t with accommodation for 10 persons.

The trio are in response to Port of Gdansk Authority’s expansion of its industrial areas and quaysides including a new container terminal in addition to a new LNG import and regasification facility planned for the Gulf of Gdansk. All three tugs meet fifi1 standards and are capable of LNG terminal operations.

Order for Germany

MJ recently covered the first order for Damen’s ASD Tug 2111 tug for Port of Marlborough New Zealand. Hot on the heels of this development is news of another order for this compact next-generation tug for a client closer to home for Damen.

Neue Schleppdampfsschiffsrederei Louis Meyer GmbH & Co KG has placed an order for an ASD Tug 2111 to be operated on a long-term charter by Emder Schlepp-Betrieb GmbH (ESB) in its home port of Emden, one of the top three ports in Europe for car shipments.

With similarities to the Polish order, Damen says: “Its shallow draught and compact size, together with its over 50 tonnes of bollard pull, make it ideal for manoeuvring large vessels in all respective areas of the port.”

Another similarity is that of a returning customer for Damen. This will be the third vessel from the shipbuilder for Louis Meyer and the second for ESB, the first being an ASD Tug 2810 delivered in 2020. The company is in the process of upgrading its tug fleet, which will stand at six vessels once this latest addition becomes operational.

Damen highlights the large 2.4m diameter propellers of the vessel offering increased thrust along with the patented Twin-Fin to ensure “outstanding course keeping and predictable sailing behaviour during both free sailing and bow-to-bow operations”.

The popularity of building tugs at low-cost facilities ‘overseas’ is evident with a third Damen construction site involved. A number of ASD Tugs 2111 are already in series production at Damen Shipyards Changde and ESB is due to take delivery of its new vessel in Q1 2024 following upgrades to enable winter operations and Tier III emission compliance.