Caspian Offshore Construction adds Damen-built shallow-draught tug

Caspian Offshore Construction has expanded its fleet of workboats operating in the Middle East Gulf with the delivery of a shallow-draught tugboat from Damen Shipyards.

Caspian Lotus was built to Damen’s Shoalbuster (SBu) 3209 design with a draught of just 3 m, a bollard pull of 45 tonnes and 80 m² of deck space.

This 32-m vessel has a beam of 9.1 m, a top speed of 11 knots, capacity to store 215 m³ of fuel oil and a winch and deck crane to support operations.

Damen’s practice of building vessels in series for stock meant it was almost completed when the contract with Caspian Offshore Construction was signed in August 2024.

Caspian Lotus has been delivered in the United Arab Emirates ready to support dredging and harbour operations.

Its delivery increases the owner’s fleet of vessels and barges to over 50, including 14 operating in the Middle East Gulf.

Caspian Offshore Construction general manager for its operations in the Middle East, Aleksey Chirkin, said 50% of the company’s fleet in the region was built by Damen.

“Which in turn, together with our onshore infrastructure and crews, often gives us a competitive edge, helping our company to secure and expand our market niche in the region,” he said.

Caspian Offshore Construction has previously purchased Damen Multi Cats (MuC) and fast crew suppliers (FCS), both newbuilds and secondhand vessels. In the past five years, it has placed orders for a Stan Tug (STu) 1606, SBu 3815, MuC 2611, MuC 3313 shallow draught, and an FCS 4008 design vessel.