Rimorchiatori Riuniti Orders Damen ASD Tugs 2913

The most recent Damen vessel to join the Rimorchiatori Riuniti fleet was an ASD Tug 2411, delivered to the client in September 2014. This was the company’s third Damen vessel, making the ASD Tugs 2913 numbers four and five respectively. The first ASD 2913 will be delivered in 2016 and followed by the second in 2017.

The ASD 2913 is a heavily built tug with rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, brackets and fendering. The two vessels for Rimorchiatori Riuniti will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati, Damen’s modern yard in Romania. Damen will outfit the tugs with a series of special characteristics for the client, in order to ensure versatility to satisfy offshore tasks when needed. Customized features include FiFi 1, escort notation, oil recovery and an aft winch. One of the two tugs will have some features which will enable the tug to operate in LNG terminals, featuring also the high performance render recovery winch built by Damen Marine Components.

Damen Regional Sales Manager for Italy Andrea Trevisan said of the order: “We are truly honored to serve Rimorchiatori Riuniti again and for the preference given in this important order. For Damen it is a pleasure to work with this company, a company which has made history in the world of towage in Italy and the Mediterranean since 1922. We appreciate the important in-house experience and the involvement of management, technical and operations staff of Rimorchiatori Riuniti throughout the project. They had some specific requirements which have been taken into account in the design of the two tugs, including additional Fresh Water and Fuel Oil capacity. It is what we call at Damen ‘smart-customization’.”

The ASD 2913 is ideally suited to when a more compact tug is needed due to limited maneuvering space in the harbor area. The reserve of stability needed for the important Bollard Pull of 80 tons offered by the design is provided by a large beam of 13 meters and a state-of-the-art skeg, all designed by Damen. The ASD 2913, despite the versatile length, offers generous deck spaces as well as comfortable MLC 2006 compliant accommodations for up to 10 crewmembers.

Alberto Dellepiane, Director of Rimorchiatori Riuniti, says the reasons the company chose Damen vessels were the high quality offered, the reliability and the fact Damen vessels maintain their value.

“Damen is able to guarantee the quality of its designs – and indeed the final product – thanks to our practice of standardization. It means that we are able to deliver proven technology to the client every time. This order for Rimorchiatori Riuniti concludes a positive year for Damen in Italy; a total of five contracts have been awarded in the country and all for standard Damen vessels. This demonstrates how Damen seriously takes into account the requirements asked by the Italian Market,” concludes Mr. Trevisan.