Damen introduces new ASD Tug and starts building for launching customer Petersen & Alpers
Damen Shipyards Group is launching a new vessel type in its ASD Tug series, the company reports.
The ASD Tug 2913 has been designed primarily as a highly manoeuvrable, powerful tug, ideally suited for busy harbours where space is limited. Petersen & Alpers (Germany) is the launching customer for the new tug, which will be delivered end 2014.
The new type answers market demand for more powerful tugs as vessels continue to get larger and for more spacious accommodation.
Damen Shipyards is proud to announce that it already has a launching customer for the new tug, the highly esteemed German towage operator Petersen & Alpers, which is one of the oldest maritime companies in Germany.
Frank de Lange, Damen Sales Director South, North and West Europe, explains why Damen decided to introduce a new tug type in the ASD series. “Vessel sizes are increasingly growing, while ports are still restricted to their physical size. Customers were requesting more powerful tugs, but they still have to be compact so they can operate in harbours which are lacking space.”
This new tug Standard slots in between the Damen ASD Tug 2810 with a 60 tonnes bollard pull and the highly powerful offshore terminal ASD Tug 3212, which was recently introduced. Developing a new compact type with a bollard pull of 75-80 tonness was really a logical step for the Damen series, he adds. “For the ASD Tug 2913 we adopted a similar design philosophy as for the new ASD Tug 3212 and although the vessel is primarily a harbour tug, it also has very good seakeeping capabilities.”
At 13 m wide, the vessel is very stable and very comfortable for the crew. The new type has push/pull capabilities and can be fitted with an aft winch as an option. The tug is also the first Damen tug to have a double hull to comply with the latest safety regulations and to answer customer demand.
Peter Lindenau, Managing Director of Petersen & Alpers, is very pleased to be the launching customer for the new tug. This will be the second Damen tug in the company’s fleet, following on from an ASD Tug 2411, which has been in operation for the last four years in Hamburg. And indeed, through a previous joint venture via its affiliated company TOWMAR BALTIC in Klaipeda with Smit, Petersen & Alpers also had experience of the Damen ASD Tug 2810.
“We have had a good experience with Damen tugs and have also seen our competitors using them!” says Mr Lindenau. “The crew were very happy with our first Damen tug and that is very important to us. The quality of the build, the 2411’s performance was what we were looking for. It has proven itself in being able to operate bow-to-bow when a lot of ASD tugs have problems doing this properly.”
The ASD Tug 2411 is performing well and is great at going alongside, making fast and the thrust is easily controlled with the slipping clutch, he emphasises. “And with Rolls-Royce thrusters and Caterpillar 3516 engines the acceleration is great.”
“Our new Damen vessel will be particularly suited for the port of Hamburg, which has very small basins”, he stresses. “Seagoing vessels are getting bigger and bigger. A highly maneuverable, compact tug with more power was needed. So the Damen ASD Tug 2913 was the right tool for Hamburg.”
Low maintenance costs are also important, he says. The company has had a good experience with the ASD Tug 2411, which requires only limited maintenance because the coating is such good quality. Crucially, Petersen & Alpers has a great deal of confidence in Damen. “We trust each other, which is the most important. It is not just price but performance, service and maintenance.”
“We are lucky to be the launching customer. We have been able to have a lot of input, with Damen really listening to our requirements.” For instance, Petersen & Alpers requested an oil fired heating system. Mr Lindenau adds: “Perhaps we look at things in a similar way to Damen, both being family owned companies; we are always considering the next generation, so a long-term, trusting relationship is very important.”
“We are always there to support our clients and we hope we can assist Petersen & Alpers in their success,” Mr de Lange says.
There has been such a lot of interest in the new Standard that Damen has already started building for stock.
About Petersen & Alpers:
Petersen & Alpers is now in its seventh generation and is managed by Peter Lindenau with its headquarters at St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, Hamburg. Petersen & Alpers is a member of the Joint Service of the tugboat Companies for the port of Hamburg and possesses a fleet of five modern, fully-serviced and maintained tugboats with a bollard pull of 30 to 70 tonnes, operating in Hamburg and in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Petersen & Alpers shipping company is the oldest family-owned and run service enterprise in the port of Hamburg. The company was founded on 6th September 1793 and has been involved in shipping and the mercantile community for more than 200 years.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group (est. 1927) operates more than 50 shipyards, repair yards and related companies worldwide. Damen employs over 7,000 people in 35 countries, has delivered over 5,000 vessels since 1969 and delivers some 150 vessels annually to worldwide customers. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept and short delivery times, Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale value, proven technology and reliable performance. Damen offers a wide range of products, including: tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, offshore support vessels, oil-spill response vessels, frigates and super yachts. For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of Services, such as Lifecycle Maintenance Services, Customer Finance, Training and transfer of (shipbuilding) knowledge.
In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion offers a network of 16 ship repair & conversion yards worldwide, most of which are conveniently located along the North Sea coast from Brest (France) to Gothenburg (Sweden). Damen Shiprepair & Conversion operates 40 dry docks of all types and sizes and offers onsite/onboard repair services. Conversion projects range from refitting small fishing vessels into private yachts to the complete conversion or rebuilding of large jack-up rigs.