Latest Deliveries From Damen Shipyards
Damen Delivers ASD Tug 3213 with 85 t BP to INTERTUG
Most powerful harbour tug in the world to be used in Mexico for the first time
Damen Shipyards has delivered the ASD 3213 ‘Tanok’ to Colombian tug operator Intertug S.A. Intertug (est. 1993) operates the country’s most modern tug fleet in terms of horsepower and fleet age. The Damen ASD 3213 has a bollard pull of 86.5 t and 80 t astern and is one of the most powerful harbour tugs in the world. In addition, Intertug ordered an ASD 3212 that will be delivered from Damen Shipyards Galati (Romania) end of May 2012.
The booming Latin American market meant that Intertug needed the vessel as soon as possible. Damen could offer a delivery time, from stock, of just two weeks. Additionally, Intertug wanted a vessel that provides continuous service reliability and with high residual value.
Ambitious fleet expansion
Family-owned Intertug was founded in 1993 as a tugboat service company in Cartagena. Nowadays the company is run by the two sisters, Arlene (CEO) and Vivian Dahl (Vice-President Commercial). Ms Vivian Dahl says: “INTERTUG is actively working on achieving one of the goals set out in its Strategic Plan for the next 5 years which is the expansion and growth of the tugboat business in the Latin American markets with a model based on a modern and powerful fleet, operational excellence and the best human resource. Throughout the years, we have established a partnership with DAMEN because of its high quality standards to support these goals.”
Since its inception as a tugboat service company Intertug has expanded into related activities. The two sisters embarked on a rapid fleet expansion programme investing in newbuilds. The company now has a fleet of 26 vessels, 13 of which have been designed and built by Damen Shipyards. This includes Stan Tugs ranging from 40 to 70 t bollard pull and a growing number of ASD tugs. After investing in several Damen ASDs 2810 with a 60 ton bollard pull, Intertug has now broadened its scope by the ASDs 3212 and 3213. Tanok is the most powerful vessel in the fleet.
Tanok
Tanok was built at Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam and 
is tremendously powerful with two Caterpillar C280-8/MC engines, giving it a total power of 7,268 Horsepower. The new tug is equipped with a 15 m crane with a 5 t lifting capacity and although a Damen 'standard’, the ASD 3213 offers high levels of crew comfort and daylight accommodation, which was one of Intertug’s requirements. The Damen standard ASD 3213 has a double drum fore and aft winch, Fi-Fi 1 and a large stern roller with towing pins to guide the towing line in adverse weather conditions.
The latest addition to the fleet will be providing offshore assistance in Dos Bocas for Mexican National Oil Company PEMEX.
Customer Finance
Intertug and Damen have worked together for around 20 years. Similar to a great number of previously acquired vessels, Intertug decided to opt for a financing structure with Damen Customer Finance. Thanks to the excellent track record of both Intertug and Damen’s Customer Finance department, the financing could be arranged within the extremely short delivery time of the vessel.
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EDT Offshore Takes Delivery of Two Damen Fast Crew Suppliers
EDT Offshore (Cyprus), an operations and management company for offshore support and dredging services, has taken delivery of a Damen Fast Crew Supplier 3507 and an FCS 5009: the ‘EDT Leda’ and the ´EDT Nefeli´. Both are built according to the Damen Sea Axe design that reduces slamming up to 75% and increases crew comfort. The EDT Nefeli is outfitted with DP1, FiFi 1 and a luxury interior for a high level of passenger comfort during longer trips.
EDT has a fleet of twenty Diving Support Vessels (DP3), Offshore Support Vessels, crew suppliers and dregders, that operate worldwide. Three of the company’s crew suppliers and two dredgers are designed and built by Damen. According to Chartering Coordinator Miki Miroslav, safety and maintenance are key to EDT’s business. “We update and upgrade our vessels constantly and stay in touch with our captains all the time. Our clients are experts in their own field and they expect the same from us. We even have a 1972-built OSV that still meets today’s safety regulations.”
EDT Nefeli
Managing Director Darios Melas: “We are a family-company and many of our employees have been with us from the start in 1980. This is reflected in our business. We want our ships to be both high-tech and a ‘home away from home’, so we spent a lot of attention to details. For Nefeli, we sat down with Damen to adapt the basic design to our needs and discuss the options offered by Damen. In addition to the dynamic positioning and firefighting systems, we’ve outfitted the vessel with extra accommodation for clients and their representatives and extra luggage compartments. Furthermore, this 50 metre crew boat will be making some long trips to platforms. Therefore, we’ve installed luxury seats with entertainment systems and internet access.”
Operational excellence
In order to keep the new Fast Crew Suppliers in good condition, EDT has assigned two dedicated crews to each vessel. Mr Melas: “A dedicated crew will take a real interest in their ship. This has a positive effect on following safety procedures, maintenance and gaining technical knowledge. In our experience, the crew gets to know the ship inside-out and they give every effort to keep it clean. In addition, the captain and his men gain understanding of the client who charters the vessel and they provide us with valuable feedback.”
EDT Offshore contracted Damen Shipyards for several reasons, Mr Melas explains. Among them are the proven Sea Axe concept and Damen’s reputation as a reliable partner. The combined builder’s and buyer’s financing arrangement also contributed in choosing Damen. With the new FCS 3507 and 5009 immediately in operation after delivery, EDT is confident its operations will continue to grow.