Bhagwan Marine takes delivery of ASD tug

Bhagwan Pride

AUGUST 11, 2014 — Geraldton, Western Australia, headquartered  Bhagwan Marine recently took delivery of a new Damen ASD 2310 tug, Bhagwan Pride, just two months after contract signing. The tug will kick off her duties by towing barges loaded with equipment for a coastal LNG development that is situated near the Barrow Island Marine Park.

The Damen ASD 2310 is a mainstay of coastal and harbour towing and push-pull operations. The Bhagwan Pride has an ahead bollard pull of 48.7 ton and 46.5 ton astern with her two Caterpillar 3512C TA engines developing a total output of 3,000 bkW.

The Bhagwan Pride was constructed in China at Damen Shipyards Changde with only minor modifications.

“To set the vessel up for Australian waters we had to make a few changes,” says Damen Area Director Asia-Pacific Roland Briene. “These involved local standards of safety and electrical systems.”

The vessel also had to comply with strict environmental regulations because of the LNG development’s proximity to Barrow Island, an environmentally vulnerable area that is home to a range of marine flora and fauna unique to Australian waters.

“Before we delivered the tug, we had to get the hull checked to ensure we weren’t inadvertently importing in any alien species to this delicate marine environment,” says Mr. Briene.

The delivery of the Bhagwan Pride follows the Bhagwan Power, a Damen ASD 2810 delivered last year from Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. “These two Damen tugs will now be working side by side on the same project,” says Mr. Briene.