Towage group chief executive explains diversification plans and harbour towage opportunities in Australia after gaining development approval
Pacific Tug Group is bolstering its tug repair and maintenance business and developing its marine bases in Australia.
The multi-tug owner has 55 years of towage experience in Australia, assisting ships in key ports. It is increasing its project towage work, engineering, dockings and vessel refits.
Pacific Tug group chief executive Captain Chris Peters says the key challenge is keeping its fleet utilisation in a market that is periodic, inconsistent and changeable.
“Much of our work is project based and harbour towage in regional ports is seasonal,” Capt Peters tells Tug Technology & Business.
“We try and spread our areas of operation to flatten the peaks and troughs of the income, but we are not always successful.”
Pacific Tug initially concentrated on coastal towage and dredging support. “Over time we expanded our services into international towage, harbour towage, engineering and heavy maintenance for other companies, marine base operations and defence support,” says Capt Peters.
He says there are further opportunities in harbour towage as maritime trade into and out of Australian ports grows this decade, despite recent economic slowdowns worldwide because of the coronavirus and oil price slump.
“There are still opportunities to provide high-quality, efficient towage operations in Australia,” says Capt Peters. “We see a contraction of providers and hope this sees us in a more balanced market.”
Pacific Tug operates eight dedicated coastal towage and project support tugs, maintained and manned to high industry standards. All are twin screw, four built in 2011-2012, three others in 2005-8 and one in 1971. These have bollard pulls ranging from 8 tonnes to 41 tonnes and propulsion supplied by Caterpillar, Cummins and Yanmar.
Pacific Tug designs, plans, executes and monitors marine towage projects with holistic cargo towage solutions, supplying barges from its fleet of four barges and assistance workboats.
It uses passage planning, weather routeing, live vessel tracking, route monitoring and data transfers in its voyage management with engineering and marine expert support.
“We are always improving our IT platforms and improving fleetwide communications,” says Capt Peters. “It remains a heavy cost to business but has provided much better safety and flexibility.”
With this support, Pacific Tug can differentiate itself from others in the region. “Through drawing on the strength of our team and capability to deliver high-quality marine projects, we hope to be involved in what new projects are available,” he continues. When asked whether this would include ordering tug newbuildings, Capt Peters was adamant this would not happen, joking, “we are trying to kick the habit”.
Pacific Tug’s harbour towage and port services are provided by subsidiary Wide Bay Shipping Services operating in the ports of Bundaberg, Port Alma and Eden. These services are provided by Z-tech design and azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs with bollard pulls ranging from 40 tonnes to 70 tonnes and propulsion from Caterpillar, Niigata and Yanmar.
These tugs assist ships berthing and departing from quaysides, provide emergency support with fire-fighting equipment and store water and high-expansion foam.
Three of these tugs were built 2004-6, one in 1995 and the others between 1983-1985.
Pacific Tug has supported major infrastructure and dredging projects such as Newcastle Coal, Gladstone APLNG, Chevron Barrow Island, Chevron Wheatstone and Port of Melbourne’s capacity upgrade at Webb Dock. Its support for the Australian Navy is provided by Pacific Defence Services. Pacific Tug has also assisted ships in distress, providing emergency towage and salvage when required.
Fleet engineering
To counter inconsistent project and harbour towage, Pacific Tug is developing its land assets into service hubs for Australian industry.
“Pacific Marine Base Bundaberg and Brisbane will be areas we would like to focus on,” says Capt Peters. Its Brisbane base is in Murarrie, where Pacific Tug has 20,000 m2 of land space, 30,000 m2 of water lease space and 330 m of waterfront.
“We use this for running projects and generating income for the group,” he says, adding there will also be development in Bundaberg, where the marine base has 40,000 m2 of land and 180 m of waterfront. “This has all development approvals in place and partial funding. We plan to develop this in the coming year,” says Capt Peters.
Approval was granted for port development in Bundaberg, Queensland, in December 2019 with the first stage upgrading existing resources and opening areas for engineering services.
This is where the group’s Pacific Fleet Engineering (PFE) comes in. The subsidiary uses facilities in Brisbane to dock and refit tugs and workboats for its own fleet and other companies. “We have performed extensive dockings for Smit Lamnalco and also worked with a local slipway to complete in-water repair works,” says Capt Peters.
“At our base in Brisbane, we have 76 m of berth frontage against our permanent maintenance facilities each side, giving us 150 m of usable berthage,” Capt Peters explains. “We can bring vessels alongside, where we have access to a 250-tonne crawler crane, so we can do heavy in-water repair works.” This can include mechanical works, involving main engines, auxiliaries and drive trains.
“Fabric maintenance on the outside of vessels and topsides maintenance can be done before the vessel goes to dock,” Capt Peters continues.
“From there tugs generally have to come out of the water. There are facilities that can be used within Brisbane to do the anti-fouling, including blasting, painting and underwater works.
“We will then transfer the vessel back to our marine base facility and do the in-water work for recommissioning.”
Capt Peters says other tug owners would benefit from these facilities for fleet repairs. “We understand tug operations and we understand maintaining tugs,” he says. “We are able to offer these services to our competitors.”
PFE fleet engineering manager Alan Simpson says this experience reduces cost, time and safety risks for tug owners. “Doing a big drydocking or big slipping is like building a house,” he says. “What you do not want to have at the end of the job is a big expensive surprise.” This can happen if repair work and drydockings are not well planned and repairers have little experience of overhauling tugs.
“With a lot of ship repairers that is what you get,” says Mr Simpson. “You do not really know how big the bill is until you get there. We report weekly to customers so they have an idea of how they are going against the budget - which gives them a lot of comfort.”
55 years of history
Pacific Tug Group started providing towage in 1965 from its Brisbane headquarters after being established by brothers Con, George and Mick Peters, with the first vessel, Tempest. Pacific Tug continued to grow under the first generation until 1987 when the bulk of the marine assets were sold to Adelaide Steam Ship Co.
There was a hiatus as the company focused on consulting, business management and development until 2006. In 2006, Con, George, Sam, Chris and Robert Peters combined talents and capabilities to re-establish Pacific Tug’s capacity in the Australian towage market.
They diversified into offshore support, coastal and international towage, marine construction support, dredging support and maritime logistics, to grow into an owner with 24 tugs and barges operating around Australia, the South Pacific and southeast Asia.
Tug |
built year |
bollard pull (tons) |
propulsion |
engine supply |
length, oa (m) |
PT Fortitude |
2012 |
41 |
twin screw |
Cummins |
34 |
PT Mary |
2012 |
19 |
twin screw |
Cummins |
15 |
PT May |
2011 |
19 |
twin screw |
Cummins |
15 |
PT Monto |
2010 |
40 |
twin screw |
Cummins |
31 |
PT Kythira |
2008 |
25 |
twin screw |
Yanmar |
26 |
PT Kotor |
2006 |
19 |
twin screw |
Caterpillar |
23.5 |
Cape Mac |
2006 |
42 |
ASD |
Yanmar |
25 |
PT Zarka |
2005 |
15 |
twin screw |
Yanmar |
23.5 |
Indee |
2004 |
70 |
Z-tech |
Caterpillar |
27.5 |
Pardoo |
2004 |
70 |
Z-tech |
Caterpillar |
27.5 |
Flinders Bay |
1995 |
45 |
ASD |
Niigata |
26 |
King Bay |
1984 |
54 |
ASD |
Niigata |
34 |
Keppel Bay |
1983 |
54 |
ASD |
Niigata |
34 |
Twofold Bay |
1983 |
54 |
ASD |
Niigata |
34 |
PT Nautilus |
1971 |
8 |
twin screw |
Detroit Diesel |
14 |
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