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Damen inks deals for Carrousel Rave Tugs and ASD

Additionally, Multraship has also agreed a deal with Damen for a new state-of-the-art ASD 3212 tug as part of its planned fleet expansion

Construction of the CRTs will begin immediately. The hulls of the vessels will be built by German shipbuilder Theodor Buschmann GmbH in Hamburg, with final outfitting carried out by Damen Maaskant Shipyards in Stellendam, the Netherlands. Delivery of the Bureau Veritas-classed vessels is scheduled for first-quarter 2017.

The Carrousel towing system consists of a towing point on a straightforward steel ring, freely rotating around the superstructure of the tug. According to Novatug, a towing load simply cannot capsize a Carrousel tug and the tug’s own hull profile can safely be used for generating braking and/or steering forces, based on the lateral resistance of the hull through the water and given the kinetic energy present in the moving tow and/or the current.

In the CRT, this towing system is combined with the advantages of the RAVE Tug (Robert Allan Ltd. – Voith Escort) jointly developed by naval architectural consultancy Robert Allan Ltd. and Voith Turbo Marine. The unique characteristic of the concept is the longitudinal alignment of two Voith drives, delivering very precise and improved force generation characteristics.

The CRTs have an overall length of 32 m, and a bollard pull of minimum 70 tonnes. Propulsion is via two Voith thruster units and two ABC main engines of 2,650 kW operating at 1,000 rpm. Free running speed is over 14 knots at 5,300 kW.

The CRT’s combination of low operational costs, speed of action and enhanced control over the tow can provide major advantages over conventional tugs, for example by widening or even removing tidal and/or weather windows for certain ports.

Novatug will offer the Carrousel Rave tugs on the basis of long-term bareboat charters, basically a financial or operational lease construction, an arrangement proven in other capital-intensive industries such as aviation. Its customer for the first two units is its parent, Multraship.

Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship, says, “Safety is always our overriding objective, and that it is why we have opted wholeheartedly to produce the Novatug CRT. This new tug design, for the first time, eliminates what has always been the most significant threat to safety in towing – the risk of capsizing under a tow load. The benefits in terms of efficiency and flexibility, meanwhile, are also enormous.”

 

carr

Carrousel Rave Tug

ASD TUG

The new state-of-the-art ASD 3212 tug acquired by Multraship — the Dutch-flag, LR-registered Multratug 31 — was built at Damen Song Cam, Vietnam. A sister vessel to Multratugs 19, 29 and 30, it will operate mainly in the Western Scheldt area. It has a maximum bollard pull of 83.2 tonnes and a maximum speed of 15 knots.

The 453 gt vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C engines and has two Rolls Royce Azimuth thrusters and a 2,800 mm-diameter controllable pitch propeller.The vessel’s deck layout features a hydraulically driven escort double drum winch forward and single drum aft, and a 25 mt deck crane. There are two one-man cabins, four two-man cabins, a mess room and galley.

Are you ready for a TOWBoT?

 

Drone technology is also finding applications in the maritime industry for the same reasons.

“We see opportunities to use robotics to reduce the danger to crews posed by riskier tug operations, and to reduce costs in some cases,” says Mike Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Vancouver-based naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd. “Control and digital communication technologies developed for drones used in other sectors have reached the point where its transfer to our industry is completely feasible, and is perhaps overdue. These technologies have been used in smaller autonomous surface vessels (ASVs), autonomous mine trucks, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and aerial drones for years.”

Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) has just unveiled an autonomous tug concept called the RAmora. The first in the company’s TOWBoT (Tele-Operated Workboat or Tug) series, the RAmora 2400 is a versatile towing platform designed primarily for ship assist and berthing operations. With a bollard pull of 55 tonnes, the RAmora 2400 features a hybrid propulsion system and ample battery storage capacity to enable extended operation even in potentially hazardous environments such as LNG terminals or fire-fighting situations.

The RAmora is operated remotely by a captain on a command tug using a console equipped with live video and other positioning information.  “It is also possible,” explains Fitzpatrick, “for the RAmora captain to operate RAmora away from the console by a bellypack controller when in close visual range.”

The control system design was developed in partnership with International Submarine Engineering of Port Coquitlam, Canada, and is derived from proven remotely operated vehicle, autonomous underwater vehicle and surface vessel applications.

 

RAmora is fitted with Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) drives arranged in a fore/aft configuration and its hull form, designed for high stability and good seakeeping performance in waves, is the product of extensive development work including CFD and towing tank testing. Yet, being a TOWBoT with no need for a conventional wheelhouse, crew accommodations, domestic systems or lifesaving equipment, RAmora is simpler and more compact than any conventional tug of comparable performance.

 

Other features incorporated into the RAmora include off-ship fire-fighting (fi-fi) capability classed to “Fi-Fi 1”, two 1,200 m³/hr fire monitors supplied by electrically-driven fire-fighting pumps, a crane boom that can be optionally fitted with a smaller 600 m³/hr fire monitor and camera.

RAmora can be used for ship handling operations that can put crew at risk, for operations at terminals where ship handling may be required in emergency  situations in hazardous environments, or as a fire fighting asset that can work in close proximity to a toxic fire, or in a restricted space, for extended periods with no risk to crews.

But don’t expect the RAmora to appear in the market overnight. “While the core control and communication technologies are mature,” cautions Fitzpatrick, “there is a lot of work to be done to get to the point where industry, class and regulatory authorities are completely satisfied that safety and reliability meet or exceed what is presently achieved with conventional tugs for the type of ship handling operations that RAmora is intended for. That process could take several years, and we need to be realistic about that. On the other hand, building a prototype RAmora could be done in as little as one to two years since there are no major technological obstacles. We see it as more of an exercise in integrating existing technologies. In many respects, without the normal outfitting required for a crewed tug, RAmora is simpler to build and has considerably fewer systems.”

Second “enhanced” RAmparts tug joins Harley Marine

The Lela Franco, named in honor of the  wife of HMS founder Harley Franco, is a sister ship to the Michelle Sloan delivered earlier this year. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., both tugs were built at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc.’s Portland, OR, shipyard.

The Lela Franco is the sixth tractor tug HMS has added to its fleet in under two years, improving its ship assist and tanker escort capability and bringing more horsepower to the U.S. West Coast. Like its twin sister the Michelle Sloan, it is an enhancement of HMS tugs the Tim Quigg and John Quigg, built in 2004 also by DMI. These enhanced designs developed by Robert Allan Ltd. feature a wider hull, increased bollard pull performance, improved crew accommodations, and a modified skeg.

Particulars of the Lela Franco are as follows:

  • Length overall: 80′-0″
  • Beam, molded, extreme:36′-0″
  • Depth, molded (hull):16′-8″
  • Maximum draft:17′-5″
  • Gross Tonnage: <200 GRT (US Tonnage)

The tug was designed and constructed to satisfy all applicable USCG rules and regulations and meets or exceed classification society minimum scantling requirements. Tank capacities are as follows:Fuel Oil:          32,800

On trials, the vessel achieved an average bollard pull, ahead, of 69.0 short tons and a maximum of 71.3 short tons, Astern, average bollard pull was 65.4 short tons and maxium was 67.4 short tons.  Free running speed, ahead, was 12.5 knots   

The vessel has been outfitted to the highest standards for a normal operating crew of two, with accommodations for up to six persons. The Master’s cabin is located on the main deck, with two additional double crew cabins located on the lower accommodation deck. There is also a galley and mess room located on the main deck.

The deck machinery comprises a Markey DEPC-48 render-recover type ship assist hawser winch on the bow, spooled with 500′ of 9″ line, and a Markey DEPC-32 towing winch aft with a capacity of 250′ of 6-1/2″ line. In addition, a capstan is installed on the fore deck to facilitate line handling operations.

The raised forecastle and elevated wheelhouse ensure good all-round visibility of the working decks and when handling large barges with high freeboard. The higher freeboard feature also provides a high standard of seakeeping when working in exposed waters, but is configured so as not to impede the ability of the tug to work closely under the flare of the newer generation of large ships.

Main propulsion power for each tug is provided by a pair of CAT 3516C diesel engines, each rated 2,575 bhp at 1,600 rpm, and each driving a Rolls-Royce US 205 Z-drive unit, with a 94.5″ diameter fixed pitch propeller.

The electrical plant consists of two (2) identical CAT C6.6 diesel gen-sets, each with a power output of 125 ekW, 60 Hz.

Ship-handling fenders at the bow consist of one tier of 36″ OD x 18″ ID cylindrical fender at the main deck level, with 12″ loop type Schuyler fenders between the main deck and the knuckle, 11″ laminated bow fenders below, and 12″ hollow D style fenders along the stem and skeg. Tires and 8″ hollow “D” fender provide protection at the main and forecastle sides and sheer lines, and 12″ loop type fendering is used at the stern.

llela francoGA

Gareth Prowse, Svitzer.

Q&A: Decarbonization 2.0 with Svitzer

Marine Log recently spoke with Gareth Prowse, head of decarbonization at Denmark-based Svitzer, on Svitzer’s strategies and technologies for enhancing efficiency and sustainability in port operations. Marine Log (ML): Svitzer operates in