Targe Towing: the drivers behind its fleet development

Homing in on the six tugs that were blessed together, Damen Shipyards built 236-gt Inchcolm as an azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug in 2020 to its ASD 2312 design and with 70 tonnes of bollard pull, an overall length of 22.8 m and a beam of 11.4 m.

The other five tugs in the naming ceremony were built by Sanmar Shipyards to Robert Allan Ltd designs. Balmerino is a 2019-built, 340-gt azimuth tractor tug, built to TRAktor 2500SX design with 72 tonnes of bollard pull.

496-gt Camperdown was delivered in Q2 2024 after its construction as an ASD escort tug with 85 tonnes of bollard pull, to a RAstar 2900SX design. The other three – 2017-built Kittiwake, 2019-built Peterel and 2020-built Queensferry were all built to a RAmparts 2400SX design with 60 or 70 tonnes of bollard pull.

Targe Towing president and founder, Tom Woolley, explained that the company started to modernise the fleet by adding Kittiwake, Peterel and Queensferry before it was acquired by Forth Ports in January 2021. Since then, Balmerino and Camperdown joined the fleet.

Mr Woolley singled out Camperdown as being a “much more versatile tug to do offshore as well as inshore”.

He added: “The essence of a tug is that it needs to be as small and manoeuvrable as possible, well fended and with fantastic visibility. Our modern designs encompass all of that.”

Mr Woolley said that Kittiwake has successfully trialled hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel as a diesel alternative.

The long-term relationship that Targe has built up with Turkey’s Sanmar came about as a happy mistake. Mr Woolley’s flight was diverted in Turkey and he took advantage of the flight delay to visit one of Sanmar’s shipyards. “They showed us the design for Kittiwake and then it became a must have – and we needed to update our fleet,” he commented.

Sanmar Shipyards chairman, Ali Gurun, said: “That flight diversion started a great friendship and an order of five tugboats.” Sanmar has also provided two 12-m line-handling boats.

Sanmar Shipyards commercial director, Rüçhan Çıvgın, explained: “Targe, our project manager and design engineers have worked together to modify, improve or adjust the tugs according to their operational needs.”

The tugs deploy Caterpillar engines and exhaust system after-treatment. Mr Çıvgın says that the shipyard’s in-house design department has made sure the tugs are as environmentally friendly as possible.

Robert Allan Ltd naval architects designed Sanmar’s tugs for Targe/Forth Ports. Executive chairman of the board, Robert Allan, was at the ceremony. Speaking about the long-term relationship that his company has fostered with Sanmar, Mr Allan said: “We have an extremely special relationship that dates back to mid-1990s, when we ended up giving them a small design for first tugs they were building.”

“The essence of a tug is that it needs to be as small and manoeuvrable as possible”

Highlighting how the relationship has evolved, he said: “We get terrific feedback – about how can we make our designs easier to build and therefore less expensive to build. A lot of effort is spent sharing information back and forth. Every project incorporates new ideas and improvements.”

Meanwhile, Damen Shipyards’ Inchcolm tug incorporates a new design that affects how the water streams along the hull of the ship. Damen sales manager for North, West and South Europe, Mike Besijn, explained: “It is a new hull design that we developed at Damen, and it is the first time that it has been used on an ASD 2312 design. It provides more power, and the bollard pull is transferred in a more efficient way. This is a comparatively small tug with a lot of power, and we are going to use it for bigger tugs as well.”

Mr Besijn said that normally the winch is on the fore or aft deck. “Quite often, owners want to have the winch at the fore end to assist ships manoeuvring in port but if you want to do a bit of towing outside at sea you do not want to use a fore-end winch because then the tug would sail backwards. Therefore, for work at sea, the winch would be at the back.”

But in Damen’s design, there is just one winch, which is under the deckhouse, completely covered and used for both operations.

Moving to the future

As Targe Towing and Forth Ports celebrate their lineup of tugs, thoughts are turning to the future of the fleet and decarbonisation. Mr Dorman said: “Alternative fuels are at the forefront of what we do. The first questions we ask ourselves is: should it be methanol, ammonia, LNG, batteries, IMO Tier III or HVO. We engage with shipbuilders, environmental groups and fuel suppliers about what is likely to be the fuel of the future that is suitable for tugs and the conditions they operate in.”

He thinks there will be an industry standard in fuel, but now there are different potential solutions. “When that settles down, the industry, I think, will focus on one or two.”

Mr Dorman explained that Forth Ports is championing a trial project in Leith to create electricity from green hydrogen. The trial will see the large tugs operating out of the Port of Leith powered by green hydrogen, produced from wastewater at a nearby water treatment works, when tied up.

The year-long trial, run by Forth Ports, Waterwhelm, Logan Energy and PlusZero, will deliver a demonstrator system for green hydrogen shore power which marine vessels can use when they are berthed. Forth Ports’ partners for their six tugs are also actively working on alternative-fuelled projects. Mr Woolley summed up: “We will respond according to science as it develops.”