Australian newbuild emergency towing vessel launched

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) welcomed the launch of Reef Responder at China’s Rizhao Gangda Shipbuilding Heavy Industry in February 2026 after it was floated out of the drydock and moved alongside a quayside.

“This marks significant progress toward a new vessel in Australia’s national maritime emergency response capability,” said AMSA, adding, “the next stage is its fit-out and commissioning.”

Once completed, this 65-m vessel will be mobilised to respond to ship casualties, to protect the Great Barrier Reef and marine environment of the Torres Strait, and maintain aids to navigation. 

In Q2 2025, Boskalis subsidiary Smit Lamnalco ordered the construction of this emergency response and salvage vessel from the Chinese shipyard, using Robert Allan Ltd’s RASalvor 6500 design, with 120 tonnes of bollard pull.

After acquiring Smit Lamnalco’s Australian operations, Boluda Towage Australasia owns the vessel, which will replace emergency towage vessels Reef Keeper and Coral Knight under a 10-year emergency response services contract.

Reef Responder will have dynamic positioning to DP2 class and hybrid propulsion using Everllence main engines, Cummins generators and Brunvoll azimuth thrusters with controllable-pitch propellers and 3,800 kW of power. 

It will also have four tunnel thrusters, a propulsion control system and gearboxes with power take-out and power take-in functions, which enable a wide variety of operational modes during transits and operations, and when the vessel operates in DP2.