MSC subsidiary has purchased a new 22.8-m tug from Damen with 70 tonnes of bollard pull
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) subsidiary MedTug stepped up its fleet expansion in Q4 2021 with the addition of a new azimuth stern drive (ASD) from Damen Shipyards.
It purchased a new 22.8 m harbour tug, Med Tegmine, to work either in Italy or to expand services in the Benelux region. As of 14 November 2021, Med Tegmine was located at Gioia Tauro, Italy, where MSC operates tugs at the Medcenter Container Terminal.
Damen built Med Tegmine to its own ASD 2312 design with 70 tonnes of bollard pull ahead, 65 tonnes astern and total power 3,804 kW.
This comes from a pair of Caterpillar-built 3512C TA main diesel engines, each developing 1,902 kW at 1,800 rpm. These drive Kongsberg Maritime-supplied azimuth thrusters of US 205 type with built-in propellers with a 280-cm diameter certified to IMO Tier III emissions requirements.
All this gives Med Tegmine a top speed ahead of 13.1 knots and speed astern of 12.5 knots.
Damen built this ASD tug to Bureau Veritas class for unrestricted navigation, in-water
survey, unmanned machinery spaces with reduced noise and vibration.
Med Tegmine has a beam of 12.03 m, hull depth of 4.4 m and draught of 5.4 m. It is also classed as a fire-fighting ship to FiFi1 notation. The main engines drive FiFi pumps, providing 2,400 m3/h of water and foam to two monitors, which are aft of the wheelhouse.
Also in the engineroom are two Caterpillar C4.4 TA generator sets, producing 400 V of electricity at 86 kVA and 50 Hz. Bilge and general service pumps are Azcue, as is the freshwater pressure set.
Med Tegmine has a full set of fendering around the hull, with D-fendering on the port and starboard sides, cylindrical fenders at the transom corners, plus cylindrical and W-block fenders at the bow.
The towing winch is hydraulically driven with a double drum, pull up to 35 tonnes and speed up to 40 m/min on the second layer. It has a brake holding force of 175 tonnes and an anchor winch with speeds of 10 m/min.
Med Tegmine has accommodation to Maritime Labour Convention 2006 standards for six people. It is completely insulated and finished with durable modern linings, floating floors and an acoustic ceiling in the wheelhouse. There is air conditioning in the accommodation with four crew cabins, galley and mess on the accommodation deck. The switchboard room and sanitary facilities are on the lower deck.
This year, MedTug has taken full control of the tugs operating in the port of Gioia Tauro by purchasing Scafi’s 50% of the Con.Tug joint venture. It has also expanded towage operations into Belgium and the Netherlands in 2021.
In Antwerp, MedTug employed Med Castor to assist container ships into terminals. This tug was ordered by the Onorato family subsidiary Moby in 2018 from Damen Shipyards, but never entered service. Med Castor was built to an ASD 2813 tug design and has been stored in the Netherlands since completion. It was mobilised to Belgium where it underwent sea trials in May 2021, before entering the busy Antwerp towage market.
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