TOWLINES

Batteries in Maritime	Autonomy at Sea	Alternative Fuels	Tugs, Towing & Salvage

Examining the growing role of batteries in maritime, questioning their green credentials while exploring industry insights, operator experiences and lessons learned from early electric vessel adoption worldwide.	Highlighting the innovators advancing subsea and maritime technology, from autonomous underwater swarms to cloud-connected assets and data-driven predictive models, reshaping how real-time conditions at sea are understood globally today.	Exploring one of the workboat sector’s dilemmas today: which emerging fuels hold the most promise in terms of cost, availability, practicality and performance? Or should we simply clean up the Black Gold?	Looking at how tugs, towing and salvage vessels are adapting to stricter regulations; contemplating new propulsion technologies and alternative fuels; and changing design strategies for one of maritime’s most demanding sectors.
Read More	Read More	Read More	Read More

Seawork 15th - 17th June 2027	Speed@Seawork 14th June 2027	Seawork Conferences

The 28th edition of Europe’s largest commercial marine and workboat exhibition provides businesses the opportunity to showcase their services, equipment, vessels and supplies to an international audience.	Speed@Seawork on 14th June in Cowes offers a sector specific event that showcases fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and Search & Rescue.	Taking place at the annual Seawork Exhibition in Southampton, UK from 15–17 June 2027, Seawork Conferences deliver a varied programme of sessions featuring expert speakers addressing the latest topical issues in the commercial marine industry.
Visit the Seawork Website	Speed@Seawork on the Seawork Website	View on Seawork

The operation to salvage the container ship MSC Flaminia in mid-Atlantic came to an end on 11 September when the ship was finally handed over to its owners by Smit Salvage. The oceangoing tug Fairmount Expedition, accompanied by tugs Anglian Sovereign and Carlo Magno safely delivered the ship to the Jade Weser Port at Wilhelmshaven in Germany after a hair raising adventure lasting seven weeks (MJ – September 2012). Approval was finally given by the coastal states for the ship to pass through the English Channel on 2 September and six days later an inspection team of the German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies boarded the MSC Flaminia offshore Helgoland before it was cleared to enter port.

Briggs Marine has acquired Smit Bever. (Photo courtesy Hans Hoffmann)

Damen Shipyards are to supply Dutch operators Acta Marine with four Shoalbusters for use worldwide on dredging and marine contracting, oil and gas and offshore wind projects. Three will come from Damen Marine Services (DMS) charter fleet and the fourth, already under construction, will be completed by Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld and delivered in March 2013. DMS Eagle and DMS Globe are Shoalbuster 2609 tugs and DMS Dunnock and the newbuilding are larger Shoalbuster 3209 vessels, with 45-50 tons bollard pull identical to the Coastal Vanguard, which Acta Marine purchased from Damen at the end of 2010.

Briggs Marine and Environmental Services of Burntisland in Scotland has purchased the push/tow tug Smit Bever from Smit Transport Europe. Now renamed Forth Trojan, the 24.8m vessel was constructed in the Netherlands by Scheepswerf Damen Bergum BV in 1995. Forth Trojan is powered by two Caterpillar 3508TA main engines with a total power of 1,558 bhp for a bollard pull of 23.5 tons and speed of 9.8 knots. At the time of writing the tug was engaged in barge handling operations at the windfarm base in Great Yarmouth.

The ASD tug Tarua 120 has been delivered to the Port Authority of Thailand by the shipyard of Italthai Marine Limited. A vessel of 28.2m LOA, it is the latest example of the RAmparts 2800 Class design from Robert Allan Ltd. Customised to meet the requirements of the owner, Tarua 120 is powered by a pair of Daihatsu 6DKM-20e main engines, each rated 1,060 kW at 900 rpm (2,842 bhp total) to drive Schottel SRP 1012 propulsion units. On trials the tug achieved a bollard pull of 34 tons towing ahead and a speed of 12 knots.