Towage operator Towmar Baltic UAB recently renewed its fleet with two new Damen ASD Tugs 2810, says Damen. The ship assistance and marine service company provides services to customers calling at the Port of Klaipeda (Lithuania) and the Port of Liepaja (Latvia) in the Baltic Sea region. TAK 10 and TAK 11 will operate in both ports.
Managing Director of Towmar Baltic, Tomas Zabulionis, explains why the company chose Damen: “We have had a lot of experience with Damen tugs over the years. The most important reason Towmar Baltic ordered these tugs, is reliable performance. Our decision to contract Damen had to do with competitive pricing as well. And, of course, the company’s reputation, quality service and maintenance are other factors that played a major role in our decision. We’re delighted we chose Damen for our tug fleet renewal.”
Towmar Baltic’s shareholders are German shipping companies located in Hamburg: Petersen & Alpers GmbH & Co. KG and Neue Schleppdampfschiffsreederei Louis Meyer GmbH & Co. KG. The company has both charter and purchase experience with Damen. Towmar Baltic and SMIT had a joint venture named Towmar SMIT Baltic years ago, and during this period three Damen tugs were part of its fleet; two ASD Tugs 2810 and one ASD Tug 3111. Shareholder Petersen & Alpers owns two Damen tugs. The ASD Tug 2411 (Peter) was ordered 7 years ago and the ASD Tug 2913 (Michel) was delivered in 2015.
Towmar Baltic chose standardised options to modify these off-the-shelf tugs: a top firefighting system and a modern oil fired heating system, as well as an escort notation. The Damen ASD 2810, 28.67 metres long with a beam of 10.43 metres, has a bollard pull of 60.2 tonnes and can travel at speeds of up to 13.4 knots. She has excellent seakeeping behaviour and agile manoeuvrability. The latest hull and skeg designs are incorporated in this vessel as well as the most recent developments in fender, fairlead and winch design. The tug is also heavily built and comes equipped with rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, extra brackets and extra fendering.
Damen Shipyards Group (with its Head Office in Gorinchem, the Netherlands) operates 32 ship- and repair yards (15 – in the Netherlands and 17 – in other countries) employing 8,000 people worldwide (including 3,000 employees in the Netherlands).
The Group’s annual turnover is EUR 1.7 bln. Since 1969 Damen Shipyards has delivered more than 5,000 vessels and delivers approximately 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Damen specializes in construction of tugs, boats, patrol vessels, high-speed crafts, cargo ships, dredgers, platforms service vessels, oil spill response ships, frigates and mega-yachts.