VIDEO: New TRAnsverse tug Svitzer Barrington arrives in Newcastle, Australia

Written by Nick Blenkey

Svitzer Barrington [Photo: Svitzer]

With the arrival of Svitzer Barrington, the first of two state-of-the-art TRAnsverse tugs ordered by Svitzer Australia, maritime operations at the Port of Newcastle, New South Wales, are set for a significant enhancement

The 32-meter TRAnsverse tug represents a generational advancement in towage standards, innovation and performance, said Svitzer Australia COO David Phillips.

“This tug class is purpose-built for versatility and power, maintaining high steering and braking forces through a range of movements without losing the dynamism or responsiveness required by marine pilots,” said Phillips. “The arrival of Svitzer Barrington, soon to be joined by her sister tug, Svitzer Nobbys, represents our ongoing investment into Australian ports, helping them operate to the highest levels of safety, efficiency and in a way that helps our maritime sector grow in a more sustainable world.”

Behind the TRAnsverse tug’s impressive look and performance are unique design features, including a patented half-circle towing staple – able to support advanced towing maneuvers – and a double-ended hull and propulsion layout that maximizes the benefits of the staple design. In dynamic modes the TRAnsverse tug, designed in cooperation with Robert Allan, expands the operating envelope by around 50% compared to similar or larger ASD tugs. The TRAnsverse tug performs a wider range of jobs, faster, more efficiently and to a generally higher level of safety. The tug has also been shown to provide a fuel efficiency gain of 15%.

Svitzer Barrington has been deployed to the Port of Newcastle as it is one of the busiest ports in Australia and services a range of large vessel types in complex tidal and weather conditions. The Newcastle operations will serve as a proving ground for the TRAnsverse tug technology, validating its performance for broader global deployment across various towage applications.

“Towage provides a critical service within the Port of Newcastle, ensuring the safety and reliability of shipping and port operations,” said Port of Newcastle CEO Craig Carmody. “The new TRAnsverse tug class represents a significant uplift in capability, further enhancing the Port of Newcastle’s resilience and growth into the future. We look forward to seeing Svitzer Barrington’s performance on the water and the additional flexibility she provides to our operations.”

The port sees more than 4,500 vessel visits a year – including large capesize vessels shipping export coal, bulk grain and agri vessels, container ships, breakbulk freight, cruise vessels and more.

As vessels become larger, weather conditions more extreme and ports more congested, the demand for tugs to assist vessels safely in and out of ports and terminals continues to increase. The logical extension is that tugs have gradually needed to become more powerful, as well as more fuel intensive.

However, the TRAnsverse tug’s design and technical features have shifted that assumption, as demonstrated in a recent white paper demonstrating the superiority of its performance.