Two powerful tugs join Seacontractors fleet
Dutch tug owner and operator Seacontractors has bought two more anchor-handling tugs from Boskalis, which makes them the most powerful such vessels in the fleet of this steadily expanding company.
With bollard pulls of 120t, the two vessels, Seraya and Sentosa, will be a significant boost to Seacontractors’ diverse fleet of vessels, some of which are directly owned by the Vlissingen-based company while others are ‘managed’ by them on behalf of their individual owners.
The new vessels’ careers have followed a similar path, which continues now with their latest move. Consecutively yard numbered vessels, Seraya and Sentosa can be considered sister-ships, built by Guangxi Guijiang Shipyard in China in 2013 for Smit International BV and both carrying the Smit prefix to their names.
They operated for various divisions within Smit, flying the Singapore flag until 2018 when they joined Boskalis, who took over the Rotterdam-based towage and salvage company. The Smit prefix to their names disappeared in that year with both tugs re-flagged to Malta (the Sentosa also had a spell flying the Belgium flag from 2016).
Technical details published by Seacontractors on the vessels state the Bureau Veritas-classed pair have a fuel capacity of 860m3 and provide a deck space of 200m2. Both vessels are equipped with “dedicated and experienced crew” and accommodation is provided for 24 persons. Their emergency response capabilities are enhanced by fully integrated fire-fighting systems.
Their new owner provides a wide range of services for various industries, including oil and gas; towage; salvage; renewables; maritime infrastructure and shiphandling and terminal towage. The company sees this powerful pair of tugs playing a “crucial role” within the oil and gas and offshore wind industries in particular, their versatility allowing them to be deployed worldwide for various tasks including single and double towing; pushing; anchor-handling; anchor recovery; rig move assistance; salvage support; wreck removal; escorting and deck and cargo transportation.
Fleet details
Looking at the fleet on the company’s website in more detail reveals an interesting and diverse mix of vessels, mostly tugs but including two ‘multicat’-type workboats between 20 and (now) 120 tonnes bollard pull, with a particular focus on shallow-draught operations.
It claims to be the biggest Damen Shoalbuster operator worldwide, listing nine such vessels of various sub-designs comprising two general groups. Sea Golf, Sea India, Sea Juliett, Sea Hotel and Sea Echo are either directly owned by Seacontractors or chartered from Damen. UK-based MTS Group meanwhile contributes four Shoalbusters, MTS Statum, MTS Vigilant, MTS Vanguard and MTS Valiant.
Of particular interest in the fleet list is a series of six similar tugs built between 2006 and 2010. While of traditional layout and powered by a conventional twin screw arrangement with a Voith Jet bow thruster, their versatility is enhanced by a heavily strengthened square push bow, Heila deck crane and towing and anchor-handling winch.
This series of vessels, as with the Seraya and Sentosa, was originally built to the account of Smit/Boskalis with three: Sea Bronco, Sea Barracuda and Sea Bison, built by IHC Delta Shipyard, Sliedrecht and Sea Bulldog, Sea Buffalo and Sea Beluga from Damen Hardinxveld. This series are 25.8m in length and provide 2,028bhp and around 28tbp.
As mentioned, two workboats are included. HST Hazel is a Damen Multicat 2309, group owned by UK’s HST Marine Holdings and built in 2021 by Damen Hardinxveld (hull from Damen Shipyards Kozle). Twin Volvo Penta main engines drive fixed-pitch propellers with performance figures of 16.2tbp and speed 9.9kn.
The second ‘workboat’ and the newest vessel listed in the Seacontractors fleet is Sea Eidum, a Eurocarrier 2611 built in the Netherlands by Neptune Shipyards BV, Hardinxveld. Twin fixed-pitch propellers provide a total of 1,940kW of power and bollard pull 33.9t.
Returning to the Seraya and Sentosa news, for Boskalis the exiting of these two vessels still leaves the Dutch conglomerate with a substantial fleet of various classes of tugs, which has remained fairly constant since its withdrawal from the shiphandling towage sector. Its fleet list includes (now) 12 anchor-handling tugs and five ocean towage tugs of the ex-Fairmount class.
Commenting on the news Seacontractors said: “Seacontractors’ investment in these two new anchor-handling tugs underscores the company’s dedication to growth and sustainability. As the maritime industry evolves, Seacontractors remains at the forefront, ready to meet the ever-changing demands of its valued clients.”
At the time of writing, AIS data indicates Seraya is moored in Rotterdam while Sentosa is in Lobito, Angola.
