Italian towing company Fratelli Neri S.p.A. has expanded its fleet with the delivery of three new Damen workboats. The trio of vessels will be based in the company’s home port of Livorno, on the Tuscan coast. Damen delivered all the vessels from stock; completing the final outfitting works within a timescale of three and a half months, the company said in its press release.
This current delivery to Fratelli Neri consists of three different vessels. The first, an ASD 2913, was built at Damen Shipyards Galati. This vessel sailed from Romania to Italy on her own keel. The other two vessels – a Stan Launch 1305 and a Stan Tug 1606 – were being held on stock at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem in the Netherlands. Damen transported these two workboats to Livorno on a heavy-lift vessel.
For its harbour assistance duties in Livorno port, the ASD 2913, called Toscana, has seen a number of modifications. These include the installation of FiFi1, oil recovery capability and an aft winch all in line with Italian flag regulations.
Fratelli Neri will mobilise the Stan Tug 1606, called Pacini, on shallow water operations in coastal and inland waters around Livorno. For such duties, this compact and sturdy Stan Tug design is an ideal match. As well as fire-fighting apparatus, the Italian-flagged Pacini is also equipped with an aft towing winch.
The Stan Launch 1305 was delivered to Labromare S.r.l.; one of Fratelli Neri’s subsidiary companies. Labromare, which is 50% owned by Tripmare S.p.A., offers waste management and anti-pollution services to ports. The vessel, called Santa Giulia, will perform a range of environmental services in the region.
With the sales contract between Damen and Fratelli Neri signed at the end of July 2016, this is another example of how Damen prides itself in meeting customers’ tight delivery schedules. “This was certainly a challenging timeframe to work in, we knew it from the moment the contract was signed and required strong combined efforts at our building yards. Achieving the delivery dates on time was possible due to the great cooperation with Fratelli Neri – whose staff were all very helpful and pleasant to work with,” comments Andrea Trevisan, Damen Sales Manager North, West and South Europe.
This three-vessel order brings the number of Damen vessels that the family-owned Fratelli Neri has purchased within a bit more than one year to six. Mid-2015, the company acquired two Stan Tugs 2608 from Damen Trading and also took delivery of a new ASD 3212 Tug which was named Luisa Neri.