Iskes Towage names twin Damen ASD Tugs 3212 Mars and Mercurius

Two of Iskes Towage’s vessels, the DAMEN ASD Tugs 3212 Mars and Mercurius, have been officially named at a ceremony held at IJmuiden Port, Amsterdam. The naming formed part of an event held to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Iskes Towage & Salvage, which was formed by Ben Iskes, the father of current owner Jim Iskes, in 1968, DAMEN said in its press release.

The Mars was named by Elisabeth Post, Deputy for Transport and Traffic for the Province of North Holland, and the Mercurius by Miss Annick Vergouwen, daughter of managing director Ronald Vergouwen. The celebrations were also attended by Iskes staff, clients and many other associates who have worked alongside the company over the years. A third tug, from another yard, was officially named Telstar at the same time.

The Mars and Mercurius are among the most powerful vessels in the Iskes fleet and operate mainly in the ports of IJmuiden (Amsterdam) and Europort (Rotterdam), but also are available for assignments further offshore in the North Sea. With 82.5 tonnes of bollard pull the ASD Tugs 3212 can handle the largest vessels that visit the ports and feature a number of typical Iskes modifications.

Mijndert Wiesenekker, Sales Director Benelux at Damen, added “Our congratulations to the Iskes family and everyone at the Iskes Towage & Salvage company on reaching their 50th anniversary. We are proud to have played a part in their success, with twelve DAMEN vessels currently serving in their fleet. We look forward to continuing the cooperation between the two companies into the future.”



Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 35 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept 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 values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyages.