Rimorchiatori Mediterranei has taken delivery of a new reverse stern drive (RSD) tug for its container ship assistance operations in Malta
Senglea was built at Damen’s Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam to Damen’s RSD 2513 design and is operated by Tug Malta. It is the first RSD tug to operate in the region.
This design combines elements of both tractor and azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs, creating a class of vessel equally effective at both bow and stern assists.
According to Tug Malta chief executive Mario Mizzi, Senglea will have an important role in manoeuvring container ships safely in and out of the island’s terminal.
“Addition of this RSD 2513 tug is another milestone in our quest to better respond to the needs of our customers,” he said. “Senglea is a special tug, compliant with class and local statutory requirements and exceeds the technical specifications contracted for,” Mr Mizzi said.
This 24.7-m tug has a 13.1 m beam, 80 tonnes of bollard pull, 5,050 kW of power and maximum speed of 13 knots.
“Design, construction, innovative equipment and other safety features of this RSD 2513 tug renders Senglea as the jewel in the crown,” said Mr Mizzi, “and takes the fleet reliability, performance and safety attributes for the company’s harbour towage to another level.”
He underlined how the new tractor concept of this tug “combines versatility of operations, power and manoeuvrability which are important requisites for local coastal towing and terminal support, the latter often rendered in restrictive waters.
Senglea has been equipped with FiFi1 fire-fighting equipment and is fully compliant with local Maltese regulations. Its hull features Damen’s twin-fin skeg to enhance directional stability and provide higher indirect towing force.
Other characteristics are Damen’s safety glass, glued superstructure to minimise noise and vibration and its readiness for upgrading to IMO Tier III emissions requirements.
Senglea also features Damen Triton, a digitalised remote monitoring system that collects data from sensors throughout the vessel. Damen Triton reports onboard operating parameters, such as fuel, oil and water levels, records performance indicators, including power, engine revolutions and fuel consumption.
This enables tug operators to improve efficiency, reduce both fuel consumption and emissions and maximise uptime through preventive maintenance.
Damen area manager for north, west and south Europe Antonio Marte explained the challenges of delivering Senglea during a global pandemic. “We took special measures related to logistics and production, while ensuring the safest possible working environment,” he said.
“As a result of these measure, we were able to secure a continuous workflow at the shipyard, leading to the on-time delivery of the vessel and the wellbeing of all involved in the project.”
Rimorchiatori Mediterranei chief executive Alberto Dellepiane said Senglea was the ninth Damen tug bought by his company in the last few years, but the first RSD-type tug.
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