VESSELS

Svitzer takes over towage at Fawley Refinery

3 years ago

Svitzer Towage has secured a seven-year contract with ExxonMobil to provide shiphandling towage and line-handling services at ExxonMobil’s oil refinery at Fawley in Southampton Water.The new arrangement will provide continuity of towage provision over the wider Southampton port estate, the vessels at Fawley joining Svitzer’s five existing tugs, which provide ship-handling towage at Southampton port itself around 8km upstream from Fawley.Services at the refinery were for many years operated by Solent Towage Ltd, part of Norway’s Østensjø Rederi, and Svitzer has inherited three very capable shiphandling tugs for its extended Southampton operation. Phenix and Apex are AVT 3700 Voith tractor tugs, built in Spain by Astilleros Gondan in 2007 and 2008 respectively, each providing 68tbp.The RAstar series of tugs is a popular choice for owners from RAL’s catalogue, offered in lengths between 27m and 40m, this particular 28m example providing a bollard pull of 80t. All three vessels include fifi1 and escort towing notation.

Two Voith tractors and an ASD tug currently serve ExxonMobil's Fawley Refinery (Peter Barker)

The contract follows an open-tender process which in Svitzer’s words ‘… demonstrated its ability to utilise assets across Fawley and Southampton to provide a more efficient solution for ExxonMobil’. The contract includes the operation of three ship-handling tugs, three line-handling boats and two mooring pontoons.

The three current tugs at Fawley will continue operation with their existing personnel, the crew being offered the opportunity to continue in their current roles, but as Svitzer employees.

Two shore-based staff will spend most of their time servicing the Fawley operation, providing face-to-face contact with the client and providing the crews with a support network for ensuring ‘compliance, maintenance, storing and day-to-day operations run smoothly’.

The new arrangement will provide continuity of towage provision over the wider Southampton port estate, the vessels at Fawley joining Svitzer’s five existing tugs, which provide ship-handling towage at Southampton port itself around 8km upstream from Fawley.

Svitzer tells MJ there are no immediate plans to rename the three tugs but they will in due course receive the Svitzer logo and livery.

Service history

Services at the refinery were for many years operated by Solent Towage Ltd, part of Norway’s Østensjø Rederi, and Svitzer has inherited three very capable ship-handling tugs for its extended Southampton operation. Phenix and Apex are AVT 3700 Voith tractor tugs, built in Spain by Astilleros Gondan in 2007 and 2008 respectively, each providing 68tbp.

In June 2021, registered ownership of both vessels was transferred to Svitzer Europe Holding BV (Group Owner Svitzer Sverige AB) with Østensjø continuing as ship and technical manager.

The third tug at Fawley, Lomax is a Robert Allan Ltd-designed RAstar 2800 ASD/reverse tractor tug built for Østensjø by Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards in 2012.

Ownership of this vessel also changed in June 2021, Svitzer Sverige AB again becoming Group Owner with Svitzer Europe Holding BV as registered owner, while Svitzer Marine Ltd (UK) took on the role of ship manager, technical manager and operator.

The RAstar series of tugs is a popular choice for owners from RAL’s catalogue, offered in lengths between 27m and 40m, this particular 28m example providing a bollard pull of 80t. All three vessels include fifi1 and escort towing notation.