Year-end surge in deliveries boosts tug fleets

A rush of newbuilding deliveries in Q4 2019 demonstrated the drive of some owners to expand their fleets for specific port and terminal requirements. Owners in Europe, North America and the Middle East are increasing capabilities for ship towage and manoeuvring in harbours and terminals.

Jawar Al Khaleej ordered the most newbuildings in 2019 with 13 tugs built by Albwardy Damen’s shipyard in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to support tanker loadings at offshore terminals in Iraq.

For this order, Damen Shipyards built the hulls and structures of 12 tugs and a Shoalbuster at its shipyards in Vietnam and Romania. They were then transported to Albwardy Damen’s facilities in the UAE for client-required modifications.

It delivered four 28-m azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs, built to an ASD 2813 design and two 32-m tugs built to an ASD 3212 design. All six have escort towing notation and FiFi1 fire-fighting systems.

Albwardy Damen also completed three 25-m tugs built to Damen’s new reverse stern drive (RSD) 2513 design that can provide towage and tanker handling services in both fore and aft directions. Jawar Al Khaleej has also taken delivery of three 22-m Stan Tugs 2208 and a 26-m Shoalbuster 2609 vessel during Q4 2019.

Albwardy Damen delivered two vessels to Ras Al Khaimah Ports in the UAE for harbour operations and barge support. Hawk is a 19-m stan tug operating at Saqr Port to service barges at Stevin Rock Harbour. Hobby is a Multi Cat 1908 vessel for general port assistance, maintenance duties and maintaining navigation buoys.

Seacontractors purchased a new Shoalbuster 3209 for its operations in Sharjah, UAE. This shallow-draught vessel, Sea Golf, is due for delivery in February 2020 and will have bollard pull of around 50 tonnes and FiFi1 fire-fighting systems.

Boluda Corporación Marítima was also busy in Q4 2019, with its subsidiaries taking delivery of four tugs and ordering new vessels.

Two terminal tugs entered service for Boluda France’s fleet in the Mediterranean. VB Surprise and VB Acheron were built in Piriou Shipyards in Vietnam and began operations in the port of Marseille-Fos. These followed delivery of VB Concorde and VB Mirage from Piriou for operations in the port of Nantes-Saint Nazaire.

During Q4 2019, Boluda Towage Mexico ordered two new 32-m ASD tugs from Damen Shipyards. VB Gallardo and VB Galante will support ships in ports in Baja Southern California: Pichilingue and La Paz, and the Pemex terminals, located in the ports of San Juan de La Costa and Punta Prieta.

Boluda Towage subsidiary Pontemar then contracted SYM Naval to build two harbour tugs to its SYM 007 design for operations along the Paraná-Paraguay waterway system and in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Sanmar’s shipyards in Turkey were also busy constructing tugs for owners such as Marin, which took delivery of five new harbour and terminal tugs to bolster its fleet to 16 vessels. This is to fulfil new port operation licences covering Izmit and Nemrut Bay.

Damen also sold an ASD 3010 ice-class tug to Rosmorport. This 29.8-m tug, Tolbukin, is supporting ships in harbours and terminals in the Gulf of Finland around St Petersburg, Russia.

Elsewhere in Europe, Remontowa Shipbuilding delivered the first of six tugboats it is building for the Polish Navy. Bolko is the first tug of B860 project that will have multiple functions. These tugs will be used for rescue operations, pollution control, combat security and logistics support at sea and in ports, passenger transport and ship supply. Remontowa intends to deliver sister tugs Gniewko, Mieszko and Semko during H1 2020 and then Leszko and Przemko later this year.

French tug owner Thomas Services Maritimes (TSM) is expecting an addition to its fleet in April 2020 after ordering a EuroTug 3515 design vessel with dynamic positioning (DP) from Neptune Marine. TSM Ouessant will be a multipurpose DP2 support vessel with a shallow draught of 1.8 m and four-point mooring system. It will have a selection of deck equipment including a Heila 280 deck crane, moonpool and a 100-tonne anchor handling winch.

Dutch owner Van der Wees will expand its fleet in Q2 2020 with the delivery of pusher tug Pieter van der Wees. Concordia Damen will assemble this tug after the hull is transported from China. It will have two Mitsubishi diesel engines driving two Veth Propulsion rudder propellers.