Kotug Smit Towage Names Tug Southampton

Recently the naming ceremony of the newly-built Damen tug Southampton took place in the Port of Zeebrugge.

Kotug Smit Towage has taken four newly-built Damen tugs into service for its European harbour towage activities, in 2017 and 2018. One of this quartet, the Southampton is currently operating in the Port of Zeebrugge. 

The Southampton is an ASD Tug 2913 and has a bollard pull in excess of 80 tons. The tug is renowned for its maneuverability and environmentally efficient performance. The naming ceremony of the tug Southampton was performed by Lady Sponsor Ariane Labargue, the spouse of Rik Goetinck, Vice President of the Port of Zeebrugge (MBZ).

Kotug Smit’s General Manager Scheldt Area, Geert Vandecappelle, said: “As a token of our appreciation for the many years of cooperation between MBZ and Kotug Smit Towage, formerly URS, we invited Lady Sponsor Mrs Ariane Labarque to perform the naming ceremony of our tug Southampton. We are grateful for her commitment.” 

Damen Sales Manager Mijndert Wiesenekker said, “We congratulate Kotug Smit on the occasion of the naming of their new ASD Tug 2913. Southampton is one of four Damen vessels recently delivered to the company. We are honored to assist Kotug Smit in the continuing development of their European operations and wish them success with this latest addition to their fleet.”