Svitzer, a leading global towage provider and part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has announced the purchase of a new tug to support terminal operations in Milford Haven, UK.
The addition of the Svitzer Pembroke to the UK fleet will free up the 86-tonne bollard pull ASD tug, Svitzer Ramsey, for relocation to London to cater for expected growth at the River Thames and River Medway, according to the company's release. The Svitzer Pembroke was originally built for Svitzer at Zamakona Shipyard, Spain, but in 2014 the vessel was sold, and has operated under the name Boa Odin for the past eight years.
The 100-tonne bollard-pull ASD tug has both aft towing winch and firefighting capabilities. This makes the Svitzer Pembroke uniquely suited to supporting Svitzer’s Terminal activities at Milford Haven and strengthens the existing fleet’s emergency response capability.
The arrival of the Svitzer Pembroke in Milford Haven allows Svitzer to redeploy the Svitzer Ramsey to London, where escort tugs with bollard pull from 80 tonnes and upward, plus fire fighting capabilities, are becoming increasingly important for serving customers effectively on River Thames and River Medway.
The newly reacquired tug has already arrived in the UK and will return to service in the coming months. Svitzer currently operates more than 70 tugs in the UK and has around 650 employees. The UK has been the launching off point for the company’s EcoTow project, with Svitzer’s entire fleet in London, Felixstowe, Southampton and Scotland switching to low carbon biofuels. The service is set to be rolled out across the remaining ports in the UK and across Svitzer’s global operations.
Svitzer is one of the global market leaders within towage and marine related services.