Seacontractors expands fleet and bollard pull capacity

Seacontractors’ fleet list previously listed the Kooiman Marine Group-built tug Norne as its most powerful at 83tbp, followed by the Damen Stan Tugs Sea Vanquish (71tbp) and Dian Kingdom and Atlantis, both of 70tbp. With bollard pulls of 120 tonnes the arrival of Seraya and Sentosa in the Vlissingen-based company’s fleet marks a big increase in its armoury.

Seraya and Sentosa have respectable pedigrees and wear the ‘one careful previous owner’ badge. The consecutively built 51.8m long tugs were constructed in 2013 by Guangxi Guijiang Shipyard, Wuzhou to the account of Smit International for its Southeast Asia operation Smit Singapore Pte Ltd.

The pair carried the ‘Smit’ prefix to their name and were typical of the mid-power range anchor-handling tugs emerging at the time to service the offshore oil and gas industry, also of course ideally suited and available for activities associated with the Smit Salvage arm of Smit International.

In 2016 with Smit becoming part of Boskalis Group they were re-flagged from Singapore to Belgium before changing to the Maltese flag in 2018, when the ‘Smit’ prefix to their name was removed.

Seacontractors says the vessels are “known for their exceptional towing characteristics” and designed for multi-purpose operations.

They are capable of worldwide deployment for activities including: single and double towing; pushing; anchor-handling, anchor recovery; rig move assistance; salvage support; wreck removal; escorting; and deck cargo transport. Their new owner adds that they play a crucial role in supporting transport activities within the oil and gas and offshore wind industries.

The Wärtsilä-powered pair each have twin CP propellers and two transverse bow thrusters, carry 860m³ of fuel, provide 200m² deck space and have accommodation for 24 persons. They are also fire-fighting equipped.

At the time of writing, Seraya is operating in the Gulf of Genoa and Sentosa is off the coast of West Africa.

As well as its Shoalbuster collection, Seacontractors’ fleet includes a series of six tugs: Sea Barracuda, Sea Beluga, Sea Bison, Sea Bronco, Sea Buffalo and Sea Bulldog, built by IHC Delta and Damen Shipyards between 2006 and 2010 and at one time also carrying the Smit prefix to their names.

Among the other tugs of interest at Seacontractor’s disposal are the five MTS Falmouth-owned Shoalbusters MTS Statum, MTS Vigilant, MTS Vanguard, MTS Valiant and MTS Valour and the 2023 delivered EuroCarrier 2611 workboat Sea Eidum.