Damen signs with Gerd Stensen for Stan Tug 1606

Damen Shipyards Group recently signed a contract with Gerd Stensen AS from Norway for the delivery of a DAMEN Stan Tug 1606. The client will apply the new vessel to their dredging operations, the company said in a press release.

Gerd Stensen, like Damen, is a family company. Their dredging work includes but is not limited to the extraction of coral sand for the French agricultural industry. They have previously operated a DAMEN Stan Tug 1, still going strong after 36 years and recently sold to a vessel operator in the Baltics.

The order for the new Stan Tug 1606 came about when the client received a new contract for a dredging operation in the north of Norway. The tug will provide support to the dredging operation, manoeuvring a pontoon in the Norwegian fjords.

The contract required that Gerd Stensen was able to begin work quickly. Thanks to Damen’s practice of building standardised vessels for stock, the tug was quickly available.

Asgeir Stensen, one of the owners of Gerd Stensen AS visited Damen’s headquarters in Gorinchem, the Netherlands to see and try out the tug late September  2018. Satisfied with the vessels’ performance, they signed a letter of intent the same day.

Since then DAMEN has been putting the finishing touches to the tug and adapting it to the client’s needs. This has included fitting the vessel with a towing winch in order tow and manoeuver the pontoon and an additional heating system to deal with the northern climate. Upon completion, the tug will be transported on the deck of a liner vessel from the Port of Rotterdam for delivery in Norway.

Damen Sales Manager Norway Eirik Eide said, “This is yet another example of how beneficial standardised stock building is for the maritime industry. Not only will the client receive a product that has proven itself in operations many times already, but the vessel is ready built for the fastest possibly delivery. In this way, DAMEN supports its clients of all sizes and all locations, throughout the world.”

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 voyage.