• 2016 March 4 12:31

    Iskes’ new ASD 2411 'Venus' up and running after delivery

    Iskes Towage & Salvage took delivery of a new Damen ASD 2411 in November 2015. In its first 100 days, the tug has been performing vessel assistance duties in the locks and canals around the Dutch Ports of Amsterdam and IJmuiden. Three months after delivery of the Venus, the captain and crew give their comments about the new member of the fleet, the company said in its press release.

    Home to a cross-section of industries, the two ports see a wide variety of vessel types and sizes. For Iskes Managing Director Jim Iskes, combining power with minimal dimensions was an important factor. “We needed a compact tug that could work in the IJmuiden locks – but also a versatile one that could handle anything.”

    Talking about the vessel acquisition process, Mr Iskes’ experiences with Damen are clear: “You call them with what you want and they organise it. Then you get the key and you’re on your way. Of course, any new build has problems to start off, but Damen sorts them out. It’s top quality – what every ship owner really wants.”

    The Damen ASD 2411 combines advantages of various tug designs. It has 70-tonne bollard pull for a 24-metre tug. The Venus, part of Iskes’ twelve-strong fleet operating out of Amsterdam, has assisted a wide variety of vessels since her delivery. In fact, her first ever job was helping a 280-metre bulk carrier out into the open sea and her second was handling a small fishing trawler.

    The vessel’s captain, Auke de Haan, has worked for Iskes for six years, mainly on larger, but less powerful, tugs however. “I had my doubts about working on this relatively smaller tug, but these have turned out to be unfounded. We work a lot over the bow, towing in reverse, but her stern rises nicely out of the water with great course stability. She’s very manoeuvrable and can handle the power well thanks to the slipping clutches. I can perform manoeuvres with only 10 revs on the prop.”

    While Captain De Haan is pleased with the visibility he has from the bridge, he does have some important feedback for Damen concerning the levels of comfort there. “The bridge could be more spacious,” he comments. “For example, there’s a good chair for the Captain, but only a simple bench for my crew.”

    Below in the engine room, Wilco Wittekoek, the Venus’ Engineer, is well placed to comment on how the Venus has performed in her first 3 months of service. “She’s nice and quiet,” he says. “There’s quite a lot of electronics down here compared to some of the older tugs that I’ve worked on, but that’s unavoidable these days. And, being an engineer, it’s a shame that you can’t do much work on the engine. That all happens via the laptop. However, the shore support that we get from Caterpillar is very handy. Collecting and analysing data in this way really contributes to keeping the ship tip-top.”

    Deckhand Niels Segelen has numerous responsibilities on board the Venus. He performs the deck work during vessel assists, the various mooring and unmooring jobs in the harbour and is also the cook. This first-hand experience also qualifies him to give Damen some ideas: “There are a couple of things that could be improved, in my opinion. The shore supply electricity cable is heavy. And it would be nice if Damen could find a way to increase the size of the sink in my cabin. For the rest, the Venus is a super boat!”

    Part of the Damen team visiting the Venus and her crew was Sales Director Benelux Mijndert Wiesenekker. Responding to the comments he heard, he says, “It is our customers who are out there every day getting the hands-on experience with our vessels. So we treat their feedback very seriously. Listening to, and acting on, their comments is the best way to improve our vessels.”




2024 March 28

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13:48 ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to two innovative initiatives by MOL
13:37 Konecranes launches its flagship Konecranes X-series industrial crane
12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
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2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
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17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
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14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
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13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
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16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
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2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
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16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels
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15:04 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contracts for four 9,300 CEU vessels with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
14:40 Taiwan International Port to upgrade terminal facility at Kaohsiung
13:59 Сruise ship Carnival Freedom catches fire near Bahamas
12:59 Hanwha Ocean wins 2.4 tln-won order for 8 LNG ships
11:16 Inland Ports meet in Paris to talk about the innovation potential of inland ports
10:50 IMO agrees possible outline for maritime “net-zero framework”
10:24 Hapag-Lloyd to continue to avoid the Red Sea route
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2024 March 24

16:18 Inchgreen Marine Park upgraded as part of £11m investment
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2024 March 23

17:19 Maersk opens new warehouse facility in Tijuana, Mexico for cross-border capabilities
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