Svitzer’s U.K. operation takes delivery of Svitzer Estelle
Written by Nick Blenkey
Svitzer Estelle [Photo: Svitzer]
The Maersk group’s towage operator Svitzer has taken delivery of Svitzer Estelle, the second Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar 3200W tug built for Svitzer’s European operations by Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyards. It will be deployed in the U.K., on the River Thames and the River Medway, bolstering the company’s operations in the Port of London. The first Uzmar-built tug to be part of Svitzer’s European fleet, Svitzer Elizabeth, is also currently in service in the U.K., in the Port of Liverpool.
Svitzer’s partnership with Uzmar Shipyards began with the delivery of two tugs for the company’s fleet in Australia.
Svitzer Estelle has a bollard pull of 80 tonnes and has an overall length of 32 meters, a beam of 13.2 meters and a depth of 5.5 meters. The tug has a 199 cubic meters fuel capacity and 40 cubic meters freshwater capacity, with Escort Tug and Firefighting1 notation.
The vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3516E main engines rated at 2.525 bkW at 1,800 rpm, with IMO III certified after treatment, and has two Kongsberg US255 Z-drives with 2.8 meter fixed pitch propellers.
“The delivery of the Svitzer Estelle marks a pivotal moment in the continued modernization of our U.K. fleet, and will enable us to continue to meet our customers’ demands as well as ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations,” said Cliff Chow, Svitzer’s London port manager. “The waters of the Thames and the Medway are dynamic and unique, so we need tugs that can meet and exceed their specific challenges. Just like Svitzer Elizabeth, we are confident that Svitzer Estelle will represent a significant advancement of our capabilities.”
A. Noyan Altuğ, CEO, Uzmar Shipyards, added: “Today marks not only the delivery of a new tug, but the continuation of our long-term partnership between Uzmar Shipyards and Svitzer. It builds on the success of our delivery of two tugs to Svitzer’s Australian fleet, as well as our ongoing work on Svitzer’s advanced TRAnsverse tug designs. We look forward to continuing our work with Svitzer to make the tugs of the future a reality.”
As Svitzer Estelle is U.K.-based, the tug will be able to fall under Svitzer’s EcoTow net-zero carbon harbor towage solution. As part of EcoTow, Svitzer deploys sustainable marine biofuel across its U.K. fleet to reduce the carbon impact of towage for its customers.
