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Carmet invests in catamaran tugboat for its growing fleet operations
A Merseyside, UK-based towage vessel and workboat owner is expanding its fleet with a new Dutch-built catamaran workboat and is hiring its crew
Carmet Tug Co has signed a contract for a newbuild catamaran tugboat and has started hiring crew for this 23.4-m multipurpose vessel.
The Merseyside, UK-based towage and workboat owner signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group, at the Seawork exhibition in Southampton, UK, for a Multi Cat (MuC) 2309-design vessel for delivery in July 2026.
Damen will deliver the tug within six weeks of the contract signing as it has almost completed this MuC at its shipyard in Hardinxveld in the Netherlands.
Carmet’s representatives visited the shipyard in mid-May to inspect and sail aboard the vessel.
Since then, Damen has been preparing the vessel according to Carmet’s requirements, painting it in Carmet colours and ensuring it is aligned with UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency requirements.
Damen is also installing its NOx reduction system, including selective catalytic reduction units and Urea tanks to cut NOx emissions by 80% in line with IMO Tier III requirements.
“When we needed a new Multi Cat with a short delivery time, we enquired if Damen would be able to support us,” Carmet managing director Joshua Metcalfe explained.
“The speed with which Damen has made the vessel available has surpassed all expectations,” he said.
“The availability of a stock vessel, adapted to our requirements, enables us to provide a fast response to our clients.”
The twin-propelled, 151-gt MuC 2309 is designed to operate in unrestricted waters with a deck area of 100 m² and large tank capacities to store 69 m³ of fuel oil, and a crane on the portside of the forward deck to support marine civil work, line handling and navigation aid maintenance.
It has accommodation for seven crew members, a beam of 9 m, a draught of 2.4 m for operations in shallow waters, a bollard pull of 17 tonnes, a top speed of 9 knots,
Carmet has started hiring masters and engineers with previous work experience on tugboats and catamarans and STCW certification, starting in July, according to a LinkedIn post.
Fleet operations
Carmet operates several second-hand Damen vessels in its fleet mostly working in the UK, including a Shoalbuster and stan tug.
In Q1 2026, Carmet acquired CT Oxton from Ravestein to expand its fleet working in the Mersey estuary and river in north-west England.
This 20-m tug was built to Damen’s StanTug 1906 design with a pair of Caterpillar 3412 ATAB engines providing 21 tonnes of bollard pull, and with a towing winch, a HS Marine deck crane and manual coupling winches.
During that period, Carmet also drydocked 26-m, Bureau Veritas-classed CT Prenton, of Shoalbuster 2209 design at a yard in Denmark. Following this investment, the 30-tonne bollard pull vessel towed a barge from the Netherlands to Holyhead, Wales. This was followed by a return tow from Avonmouth back into the Netherlands.
At the start of 2026, Carmet’s 21-m, Eurocarrier 2209-design CT Vector underwent extensive maintenance in the Netherlands, including an overhaul to its main engines, installation of a Heila HLRM 140 deck crane and a John Deere generator.
In north-west Wales, Carmet supported Spencer Bridge Engineering in installing an Aerotruss working platform at Menai Bridge to enable maintenance while minimising disruption to the surrounding environment.
In May, Carmet’s stan tug CT Oxton towed jack-up workboat Haven Seaseven along the Bristol Channel and at Bridgwater up the River Parrett to Barry for demobilisation.
As an example of its operations on the Mersey in north-west England, canal tugs MSC Victory and MSC Viking assisted LPG tanker, Happy Pelican, through Ellesmere Port to the Stanlow oil refinery.
Riviera will host TUGTECHNOLOGY ‘27 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 19-20 May 2027. Use this link for more information and to register.
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