Towlines

Also operating under the same company is the recently delivered multi-purpose work vessel

Dulas Island,

now the

AK TUE,

and the existing tug from the Holyhead fleet

Afon Alaw

which has become the

AK Sunkar

.

Irving Shipbuilding Inc of Halifax in Canada, has four more 30

.

8m ASD tugs under construction for Danish operators Nordane Shipping of Svendborg, with whom they have had a long association

.

Two tugs will be built to LR Ice class 1A standards and have Caterpillar diesels rated at 5,000bhp total

.

The remaining pair will have more powerful engines generating 5,364bhp

.

Rolls Royce propulsion units with controllable pitch propellers are to be fitted to all four, but with larger propellers fitted for the more powerful vessels

.

The Ice Class tugs will develop 62 tons bollard pull while the non-Ice Class tugs will develop 70 tons

.

Deliveries are scheduled for 2009 and 2010

.

The Bourbon Group has announced that its company Les Abeilles International has changed its name to Les Abeilles

.

The latter operates five salvage tugs as Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) under contract to the French Navy, to protect the French coastline against marine pollution

.

Although Bourbon sold its entire port towage activity to Boluda in 2007, the historic name Les Abeilles has been retained

.

Macduff Ship Design has secured their first order for a new 16m twin screw tug from Belfast operator John McLoughlin and Sons

.

The vessel will be capable of towing, pushing, plough dredging, general harbour work, personnel transfers and pilot duties

.

Two Doosan 4V222 TIH diesels, each rated at 800 bhp at 1,800 rpm will drive 1,700mm fixed pitch propellers in fixed nozzles via Twin Disc MGX 5222DC gearboxes

.

This arrangement will give the tug a bollard pull of 20 tons

.

The vessel will be built by Macduff Shipyards for delivery in Sept 2009

.

MacDuff Ship Design already has orders on their books for two 13m and three 23m tugs

.