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ITS Lifetime Achievement Award: Kommer Damen
Damen Shipyards group chairman Kommer Damen received Riviera’s International Tug & Salvage (ITS) Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 during an industry gala dinner and conference in northern Europe
Kommer Damen was presented with the annual ITS Lifetime Achievement Award in front of his wife, family members, colleagues, clients and maritime professionals during the prestigious event, TUGTECHNOLOGY 25, in Antwerp, Belgium.
This award recognises individuals whose contributions have had a lasting and significant impact on the global tug industry.
In Mr Damen’s case, this impact is through decades of constructing newbuild tugboats and workboats, as a global tugowner, and introducing the principle of standardised shipbuilding in 1969.
In six decades, Mr Damen has helped shape the evolution of modern tug design and construction. Under his leadership, Damen developed benchmark vessel types such as azimuth stern drive (ASD), azimuth tractor drive and reverse stern drive (RSD) tugboats.
“I have been working in the industry since 1967 with a small group of people, and now this has grown to 50 shipyards and many successes for clients,” said Mr Damen after receiving the ITS award.
“With client loyalty, we have grown to serve with the best service, economics and discipline, and by working in good ways with shipyards and owners.”
In the past five years, Damen has continued to build on its legacy by launching a new generation of compact, highly manoeuvrable and increasingly sustainable tugs.
It has introduced electric RSD-E 2513 tugs in the past five years, with one in operation in New Zealand, two in the Middle East and one in Belgium.
The Dutch group is also developing fuel-flexible ASD tugs, to offer owners future-ready options as the energy transition accelerates.
As part of the award presentation, a video tribute featured personal messages from clients, colleagues and industry partners. Their contributions reflected not only Mr Damen’s achievements as an entrepreneur, but also his integrity, approachability and long-standing commitment to collaboration.
During TUGTECHNOLOGY 25, Damen presented its developments for fuel-flexible ASD tugs with a technical paper and showcased its electric RSD-E 2513, Volta 1, at a quayside in Antwerp.
Nominations for the ITS Awards 2026 will open shortly. These will be presented at the 28th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards which will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, 19-21 May 2026. Use this link for more details of this industry event and the associated social and networking opportunities.
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