Ocean Takes Delivery of First Damen Tug

Delivery signing takes place in presence of Dutch king and queen

Italian maritime service provider Ocean S.r.l. has welcomed its first Damen tug – a Stan Tug 2608 – into its fleet. The company, part of the Ocean-Team Group, will deploy the vessel in harbor towage operations in the ports of Monfalcone and Porto Nogaro in the northern reaches of the Adriatic Sea. The signing of the delivery protocol was attended by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, as part of a recent State Visit to Italy with a parallel Netherlands Economic Mission.

The Ocean Group operates more than 40 vessels and barges to provide tug, towage and offshore services in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and Caspian Seas. Harbor towage in Italy, Slovenia and Montenegro forms the core of the group’s operations portfolio.

Flexible harbor assistance

The new tug, called Bat, will strengthen Ocean’s capacity in the compact confines of the port of Monfalcone. To this end, the 26-metre long vessel’s 45-tonne bollard pull has been supplemented with an aft winch to allow operations over the stern as well as over the bow. Further modifications include installation of FiFi equipment (600m³ capacity), towing pins and adjustments required for Italian Flag compliance.

Damen delivered the Bat on its own keel from Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. “This is another service that we can offer our customers,” says Damen Regional Sales Manager Andrea Trevisan. “I would like to praise the excellent work carried out by the delivery crew in sailing the tug from our specialist tug production yard. This was not an easy task as it was the beginning of the monsoon season, which saw this 26-metre long tug experiencing 5-metre high waves. Vessel and crew arrived safely at the delivery destination in Trieste, Italy.”

First impressions

An important aspect of the vessel order was Ocean’s specification for a fast delivery time. “We required a delivery time of six months – and we are pleased to say that Damen has fully met our requirements,” comments Ocean Managing Director Mrs. Michela Cattaruzza Bellinello.

Special delivery

Mr. Trevisan describes the signing of the delivery protocol as a very memorable occasion. “It has taken 50 years for Damen to deliver the first tug to the Ocean Team Group based in Trieste,” he says. “This could not have been celebrated better as we were privileged to complete this delivery in the presence of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima. This was a true honor and very emotional!”

“We are proud to see a Damen tug sailing under the Ocean flag. We are certainly looking forward to building a long and productive business relationship together.”

Damen Shipyards Group

Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardized ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardization, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 17 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 meters. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually.