Damen to build six Rotortugs for Port Hedland operations

ART 85-32W class Rotortug

MARCH 7, 2017 — Australia’s Pilbara Marine Pty Ltd. , a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd has placed an order with Damen Shipyards for six 32 m ART 85-32W class Rotortugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd.

The ART (Advanced Rotortug designation applies to Robert Allan Ltd. designed tugs featuring the unique triple Z-drive configuration, originally conceived and developed by Rotortug (KST) B.V. of the Netherlands.

The six tugs will be built at Damen’s Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. The first two are scheduled for delivery by the end of October 2018, with the remaining four due in early 2019.

They will be deployed at Pilbara Marine’s operations at Port Hedland on Australia’s west coast, the world’s largest bulk export port, from where Fortescue exports 165-170 million tonnes of iron ore per year.

The tugs’ Rotortug propulsion system features three azimuth thrusters; two forward and one aft. Together these deliver a full 85 tonnes of bollard pull over both the bow and the stern, and 65% from amidships. The RotorTug system delivers additional benefits in terms of maneuverability, braking, and engine and winch redundancy. The W notation refers to the increased beam of these designs, providing additional stability during escorting operations conducted regularly at Port Hedland.

“Damen, as a world leader in the design and construction of tugboats, has been very successful in Australia for many years. This project underlines again that Damen listens carefully to our customers’ needs and that they value our superior quality vessels built for competitive prices, along with our technical expertise and after sales services. These factors have proven the difference in the success of this project,” says Vincent Maes, Damen’s Area Sales Manager.