Svitzer selects Schottel for tug trio building at ASL

Two tractor tugs and one ASD tug currently under construction at ASL Shipyard, Singapore for Svitzer will be equipped with rudderpropellers from Spay, Germany, based Schottel, the German propulsion expert. All three tugs will be deployed at Mid West Ports, Western Australia, to provide safe towage and emergency response services.

“We are building on positive experiences with Schottel for over ten years now. With more than 50,000 tug movements a year, our vessels have to be equipped with extremely reliable propulsion systems,” says Svitzer Australia Managing Director, Nicolaj Noes.

The tugs are designed by Robert Allan with a free running speed of about 12 knots. The propulsion system consists of two Schottel Rudderpropellers type SRP 460 with 2.6 m fixed pitch propellers, each driven by a CAT 3516 engine with an output of 2,240 kW. In this combination, the tugs will achieve a bollard pull of up to 70 tonnes.

Svitzer Australia will bring the new tugs to the port of Geraldton as part of a non-exclusive license for towage services with Mid West Ports.

Gerladton is one of Australia’s busiest regional ports and the gateway to Western Australia’s Mid West region. The port of Geraldton is an important service and logistics centre for the regional mining, fishing, wheat, livestock and tourism industries.