Svitzer is expanding its fleet in northern Europe to provide towage services in Germany’s third-largest North Sea port
The Maersk subsidiary will provide towage and ship-docking support in the seaport of Emden from 1 January 2021 after it has taken delivery of a new azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug from Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine.
Emden is Germany’s third-largest North Sea port and has become one of Europe’s biggest roro hubs.
It hosts a major export terminal for Germany’s car manufacturing industry and has become a technical and logistical centre for windfarms located in the German Bight.
It will begin its ship support with two harbour tugs. Svitzer Valand is a 1998-built tractor tug with 45 tonnes of bollard pull. This 25.8-m tug is part of Svitzer’s existing European fleet, currently operating out of Sweden.
Joining Svitzer Valand in Emden will be Svitzer Vestri, an ASD tug with 60 tonnes of bollard pull, due to be delivered by Med Marine in October 2020.
“This move is another step in our realisation of Svitzer Europe’s core strategy and vision of continued and targeted growth,” said Svitzer Europe managing director Lise Demant.
“As one of Europe’s pre-eminent roro hubs, and a major link in the German automotive supply chain, Emden is an obvious and fitting strategic location to add to our portfolio,” she said.
“We are confident that this move will allow us to better serve customers and unlock our towage services for more in the market. We look forward to working alongside the port authorities in Emden to play our part in underpinning the first and last mile of German seaborne trade through this vital port.”
Svitzer is training crews to handle Emden’s unique geography, including its tidal outer port and its independent inland port, situated behind two locks on the River Ems.
Emden operations will sit within Svitzer’s Scandinavia and Germany cluster, which includes ports in Sweden, Denmark and Germany including Bremerhaven, Gothenburg, Copenhagen and Malmo.
Harbour towage and ship docking services will be discussed in depth during Riviera’s Smart Tug Operations, Asia virtual conference on 1 December 2020 - use this link to access programme details and to register for this event
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.