Boluda France Takes Delivery of Two Tugs Built by Piriou

Following the delivery of tugs VB Concorde and VB Mirage positioned at Boluda Nantes Saint Nazaire in August 2019, the delivery of VB Acheron and VB Surprise positioned in Boluda Marseille Fos in November 2019, Boluda France has taken delivery on April 24 of VB Longchamp and VB Guardian - the last two of six vessels ordered to the Piriou group.

Like the first four vessels of the series, these were built by Piriou Vietnam. On March 23 they were loaded on board the heavy lift ship Pauwgracht which transited through the harbor of Rotterdam before reaching Le Havre.

These two tugs will stay in Boluda Le Havre and take part in the fleet renewal initiated in 2015. They feature a length of 30.3 meters and 75 tonnes bollard pull. They are exceptionally maneuverable vessels and answer the latest requirements of Port of Le Havre on safety and performance. These tugs bring our customers tailor-made solutions to their business objectives.

Denis Monserand, Boluda France Chief Executive Officer, would like to highlight the efficiency and commitment of all the teams of Boluda France, Piriou, Port of Le Havre and the contractors who allowed the delivery of these last two vessels in due time in spite of the current health crisis. This arrival is also commended by Baptiste Maurand, Haropa Port of le Havre Chief Executive Officer, who celebrates seeing Boluda modernize its fleet to assure its shipowner clients services of the highest quality.

The six tugs of this new series were built on a Piriou standard design customized to answer the specific requirements of Boluda France.

Piriou has already delivered a first series of eight 70 tonnes bollard pull tugs to Boluda France between 2007 and 2009, then a new series of six built by the Vietnamese subsidiary which were delivered between 2015 and 2017: VB Ouragan, VB Cyclone, VB Typhon, VB Tempete, VB Volcan, VB Tornade.

Multipurpose harbor and coastal ASD tugs with Escort class

These units are issued from the OST 30-Omni Stern Tug- model of the tugs range designed by Piriou.

The OST 30 is a multipurpose tug developed for ‘push pull’ type towage and harbor assistance operations as well as deep sea operations. With a hull length of 30.3 meters, it is also fitted to bring assistance to vessels in access channels.

This tug is equipped with two aft azimuth propellers (Azimuth Stern Drive), driven by two marine medium-speed turbocharged four-stroke diesel engines, fresh-water cooled with box cooler refrigerants.

At the bridge, the ergonomics of the single-command control station and the high visibility over the entire working area and its surroundings allow the captain to maneuver his tug alone.

In order to answer the operating conditions required by Boluda France, these tugs are equipped with several options including:

- Fi-Fi 1 equipment for fire fighting
- Aft sea towing winch and tugger winch for deep sea towage
- Double drum fore winch with Escort function

The OST 30 is designed to be maintained every five years with special antifouling and ICAF system. Accommodation is in accordance with ILO 2006 requirements and special attention is paid to noise reduction.