Multi Multraship Ceremony
Friday 4 February, Multraship christened its two newest azimuth stern-drive multipurpose tugs in a special ceremony at the Portaal van Vlaanderen in Terneuzen, the Netherlands,. Joan Nuijten-Muller of Multraship performed the christening ceremony on Multratug 18, whereas Eline Muller of Multraship, meanwhile, christened Multratug 3. Both tugs were ‘accompanied’ by Multraship’s upgraded 600t floating sheerlegs Cormorant.
Multratug 18, delivered in 2009 by the Vega Shipyard in Bandirma, Turkey and featuring a 35.7 m loa and moulded beam of 11.50 m, is designed for a multi-role capability for harbour, escort and sea towage as well as fire-fighting and salvage roles. It is chiefly employed in a deep-sea role, but can be deployed as and when needed in the River Scheldt area. It has FiFi 1 fire-fighting, salvage, escort towage and oil recovery notations, and is powered by two ABC diesel engines, which deliver 70 t bollard pull. It has a double drum winch aft and a single drum winch forward and a free running speed of 13.5 knots. It is classed by Italian classification society RINA and is registered under the Dutch flag.
Multratug 3, which was built in Vietnam by Damen Shipyards and delivered to Terneuzen in late December 2010, will mainly operate for Antwerp Towage NV, a 50/50 joint venture between Multraship and Fairplay Towage, but will also be available for emergency response work, including fire-fighting, in the River Scheldt area. With FiFi fire-fighting, a maximum bollard pull of 94.7 t, an overall length of 32.14 m, and a beam of 13.29 m, the vessel is capable of a speed of 14.7 knots. It is classed by Lloyd’s Register and is registered under the Dutch flag. It is currently the strongest tug in the area.
Multraship
Multraship is an established and widely respected provider of towage and salvage services, including harbour towage and other port-related services in Terneuzen, Ghent, Flushing, Antwerp and nearby areas as well as in the Black Sea port of Bourgas. Together with Fairplay Towage, it also operates Antwerp Towage NV, which has been a great success since it was launched in 2008, and continues to build on its client base. As a result of the ongoing fleet investment typified by these two latest tugs, the established expertise and leading-edge technology of Multraship is available to respond to the needs of its clients, in port or at sea, where and when it is needed.
Multraship draws on a century of experience in the maritime sector. Multraship’s core operations include salvage, wreck removal, harbour towage, coastal and deep-sea towage, services to the dredging, offshore and wind-farm industries, and support for inland navigation. It operates and manages a large fleet of tugs, salvage vessels, floating sheerlegs and other craft equipped with modern towage, salvage and fire-fighting equipment and manned by experienced and highly-trained masters and crew.
Image courtesy Peter Nicolai