First European Tier III harbour tug revealed

Multraship Towage & Salvage has again acted as an innovator in tug operations by purchasing and renaming the world’s first reversed stern drive (RSD) tug – the first tug in Europe to be IMO Tier III-compliant.

This RSD 2513 design tug is low in emissions and vibration which, according to Multraship managing director Leendert Muller, are operational and environmental benefits.

It was named Multratug 6 in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, on 28 June alongside an azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug Multratug 29.

“The purchase of Multratug 6 was a combined response to the need for additional tonnage and a desire to reduce our exhaust emissions,” says Mr Muller. “We take responsibility for the environment and this is why we have chosen an IMO Tier III-compliant vessel, the first of its kind in Europe.”

It is likely that more IMO Tier III tugs will be ordered by other owners in the future.

“[Tier III] is in tune with the increasing demand from local port authorities for clean operations,” says Mr Muller, who also considers seafarer working environments. “The reduced noise and vibration levels exhibited by the RSD 2513 was another deciding factor, because we really care about the comfort of our crews,” he says.

“Vibration is the enemy of any shipowner – and we draw on our knowledge to reduce it to a minimum on our tugs”

Damen used its experience in minimising onboard vibrations on superyachts and naval vessels to dampen vibration on Multratug 6, says Damen Benelux sales director Mijndert Wiesenekker.

“Vibration is the enemy of any shipowner – and we draw on our knowledge to reduce it to a minimum on our tugs,” he explains. “This is another example of the benefits of our standardised shipbuilding strategy – we can improve vibration levels as the series progresses. This is important for the crew as well as for the equipment.”

Multratug 29 is a Damen ASD 3212 tug, built for both harbour and oceangoing towage, says Mr Muller.

“When conditions get rougher and tougher offshore the [ASD 3212] seakeeping characteristics really show themselves,” he says. “With an open stern, stern roller and additional equipment, this is a real multipurpose tug.”

Because of the variety of Multraship’s port and deepsea operations, it needs multipurpose tugs. “We believe that most of our port tugs should be able to work at sea, and that our seagoing tugs should also be able to perform port operations,” says Mr Muller.

Escort tug design

Elsewhere in Q2 2019, naval architects at Robert Allan and Sanmar Shipyards, in Turkey, jointly developed the RAstar 3200-SX tug design. The Kocaçay series are 32-m escort and ship-assist tugs with twin Z-drives and diesel main engines designed “for ship-handling, towing and escort duties,” says Robert Allan.

These 497-gt tugs will have an escort winch at the bow, a towing winch, towing pins and rounded transom at the stern for towing.

RAstar 3200-SX tugs were designed with a 13 m beam and 5.5 m draught, which is shallower than comparable escort tugs. Customisation included “design optimisation to minimise construction costs without reducing end-performance” Robert Allan says.

They are expected to deliver high bollard pulls of up to 84 tonnes ahead and 77 tonnes astern, “unlike other shallow-draught designs that use a compromised hullform to achieve a reduced draught,” says Robert Allan.

Their propulsion includes a pair of CAT 3516C diesel engines, each rated at 2,350 kW or 2,525 kW at 1,800 rpm, and each driving a Rolls-Royce US 255 P30 Z-drive.