JSC Leningrad Shipyard ‘Pella’ completed sea trials, pull and escort tests of the tugboat Sfinksa of Project 16,609 ordered by Freeport of Riga, the shipbuilding firm said.
Test results confirmed the stability and maneuverability of the vessel. The ship is ready to set out for the port of destination.
Ship’s main characteristics: length overall - 28,5 m, breadth - 9.5 m, depth - 4.8 m, draft overall - 3,5 m, operational speed - about 12 knots, bollard pull is 47.7 tons, holding force - 49.9 tons. The vessel is powered by two main Caterpillar engines 3516V 15 kW each.
In August 2011 Pella Shipyard won the tender as the only bidder and was awarded the tug boat contract from Freeport of Riga. The firm’s winning bid was EUR 6.35 million.
Shipyard Pella was founded in 1950. In 1992 the company was privatized as Pella Holding Company comprising of head office and a number of subsidiaries. The firm specializes in construction of tugboats for Russian customers.
Latvia-based Free Port of Riga lies on both banks of the River Daugava (Western Dvina), The port encompasses 6.348 hectares, including 13,818-meter waterfront with berths max depths of 16 meters (ship draft - 12.2 m). Transit cargoes account for 80 percent of overall freight traffic moved to / from the CIS countries. In 2010, cargo throughput of the Port of Riga rose 2.5 percent to 30,475,000 tons.