Maersk group subsidiary, Svitzer, has secured a multi-year extension to a marine services contract at a major tanker terminal in North America
Svitzer has gained a five-year extension for tug services from NuStar, one of the largest liquid terminals and pipeline operators in North America covering ship assistance at NuStar’s terminal in Point Tupper, in eastern Canada.
Svitzer will provide towage and docking support to tankers using the oil storage facility until August 2025 through this contract extension.
It has three tugs on time charter, performing berthing and unberthing for calling tankers and safety standby services at the terminal.
Svitzer Americas managing director Arjen van Dijk said this extension strengthens its partnership with NuStar and should lead to expansion opportunities. “We are continuously looking to stabilise and expand our operations in eastern Canada. We are committed to supporting our customers and determined to grow our business in the region over the coming years.”
Mr van Dijk said Svitzer Americas was positioned to grow its regional presence “with one or two exciting new prospects over the coming years”.
In the Americas region, Svitzer employs 835 people, delivering marine services to global and regional customers across 14 countries.
“Our strategy for the Americas is to pursue further growth within a careful selection of projects and ports that fit our portfolio and capabilities well,” said Mr van Dijk, “and where our multi-local presence will make us a more efficient and reliable partner to our customers.”
Also in North America, McAllister Towing was fundamental in docking a hospital ship in New York city on 30 March.
USNS Comfort was berthed at a cruise terminal in New York harbour with assistance of four McAllister tugs. The hospital ship was docked at Manhattan’s cruise terminal at Pier 90 in the Hudson River in response to the growing medical crisis in New York form the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.
Tugs Brian A McAllister, Ava McAllister, Alex McAllister and Ellen McAllister, towed and docked USNS Comfort, which is equipped with 1,000 patient beds.
It has 12 fully equipped operating rooms, eight intensive care unit beds, four radiology suites, up to 1,200 Navy medical and communications personnel and more than 70 civil service mariners.
Its mission is to treat patients who do not have the virus, which frees up the land-based hospitals and national guard facilities to focus on Covid-19, in what is the epicentre of the virus outbreak in the US.
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