Boluda Towage Europe has ordered two 85-tonnes bollard pull ASD Tugs 2813 from Damen Shipyards Group, both complying with the most recent IMO Tier III emission standards, for operations in the Port of Zeebrugge as part of the extended concession for towage services, Damen said in its release.
The new tugs will be named VB Bolero and VB Rumba and will be added to the fleet of Boluda Towage Europe, currently comprising of 81 tugs and operating in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. Damen will deliver the newbuild tugs in December 2020. The ASD Tugs 2813 are highly manoeuvrable and high performance, environmentally friendly vessels of modern design.
Thanks to their operational flexibility, the tugs can be used for harbour and terminal (un)berthing operations, escort operations, firefighting operations, coastal and offshore towing operations.
Boluda Towage Europe’s CEO, Geert Vandecappelle stated: “We are delighted that the new tugs VB Bolero and VB Rumba, both complying with the most recent IMO Tier III emission standards, will be put to use in December 2020 for the extended concession for towage services in the Belgian Port of Zeebrugge.”
Damen sales manager North, West & South Europe Carlos Gonzalez Martin stated: “Damen is happy to extend our cooperation with Boluda by building and delivering two new ASD Tugs 2813 for this project. We are convinced that these state-of-the-art Damen ASD Tugs 2813, including FIFI 1 and the Damen Marine NO X Reduction System will be a great addition to the Boluda Europe fleet operations.” Damen launched both of the tugs at the end of July 2020, at Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 11,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 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, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 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.
Boluda Towage Europe
Boluda Towage Europe provides tailored towage services to its customers in major ports in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The company is part of Boluda Towage Group, a family business that has established itself as one of the leading providers of maritime services worldwide. The group can be found in 75 ports across the globe, operating a fleet of over 300 tugboats in 19 countries in Europe, west-Africa, America and the Indian Ocean. With a worldwide scope, the group also provide offshore and ocean towage.