Damen Shipyards Launches New Type of ASD Tug at ITS (Spain)

Damen Shipyards has launched its newly designed ASD Tug 3212 at the International Tug and Salvage Convention (ITS) in Barcelona. This innovative and powerful tug in the 85 t BP range is the result of three years of research and represents a completely new Damen ship type and a milestone in ASD tug design.

The new Damen ASD Tug 3212 has been designed to operate in all circumstances and features hundreds of big and small innovations, including a completely revised hull form and a higher bow, resulting in better speed and a dry foredeck. It has a maximum bollard pull of 85 tons, sails with 14.5 knots and it’s tested to operate in 3 meter wave height. Other features are, for example, super-absorbent fenders and a new Render/Recovery winch. Four of the new 3212s have been delivered to clients in Australia, Colombia and The Netherlands and 10 are currently under construction.

Mr Coen Boudesteijn, Damen Product Director Tugs, comments: “Damen has developed this completely new tug generation within the 85 ton bollard pull range to fit in with market developments. Many projects for tug operators are now in more open and challenging waters, such as those off Northern Australia, so there is a need to be able to cope with higher wave heights and for more powerful tugs, given the increasing size of tankers and container vessels.”

Performance

Courtesy of Multraship, one of the first clients to express its confidence in the new design, Damen momentarily showcases the Multratug 19 at the ITS. This vessel is one of the new ASD Tugs in the 80 ton bollard pull range and the first with the Standard propulsion installation of 5050 kW. During its sea trials, the Multratug 19 achieved 85 t BP and a speed of almost 15 knots.

Coen Boudesteijn: “Damen has built more than 2,000 ship handling tugs, including 400 ASD Tugs, and delivered them to more than 125 countries. We have a huge amount of experience concerning what is required for a tug to operate in waves and this knowledge has been incorporated into the new design. We were absolutely delighted to see this come to fruition at the sea trials when the vessel more than proved her capabilities.”

The new vessel also benefits from Damen’s philosophy of standardisation. “We sell our standard vessels all over the world. Therefore, for example, the cooling system in an ASD Tug has to be just as fit for purpose in St. Petersburg as it is in Australia”, Mr Boudesteijn continues.

Strong demand

Before the ASD Tug 3212 was officially launched at ITS, Damen already experienced a strong demand for the new tug type. To fulfil demand Damen is building a series, including two with Ice Class Notation. By March, four had been sold and 12 deliveries are expected for 2012 alone.

Improved sea keeping, towing capabilities and a new hull form

To improve the sea keeping and towing capabilities in waves, Damen conducted extensive in-house R&D, as well as at the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN). The ASD Tug 3212 has a completely revised hull form with a more pronounced “V shape” in the fore ship and more slender water lines in the bow region. Additionally, it has a higher bow with a more flared and slender shape, resulting in a dry fore deck. The vessel also has a relatively low wheelhouse, slope frames and bilge keels, guaranteeing low accelerations for improved crew comfort.

Crew safety and comfort

Mr Boudesteijn: “This is a very modern tug and it is always safety first! When towing, the crew can see and operate everything from the main deck, such as the pumps, so they don’t need to go into the engine room.”

The Damen ASD Tug 3212, which has a capacity for a maximum crew of 10, is built to comply with all of the very latest IMO and MLC 2006 crew and comfort regulations. Noise and vibrations are kept to a minimum due to flexibly mounted main engines and flexible drive couplings. The accommodation and wheelhouse have a floating floor to keep noise levels within 55 dB and vibration levels to a minimum.

The wheelhouse design gives good all round visibility and has a user friendly layout. Comfortable, air-conditioned accommodation is provided, with all cabins above the waterline. Officers have a 7.5 sq m cabin, with a standing height of 2.2 m. “Everything has been considered from an ergonomic point of view. If the vessel is operated for a 12-hour stretch, it has to be comfortable for the crew and this also makes it safer of course.”

Quick acceleration

Main engines are the Caterpillar 3516C TA/D, giving 1600-1800 RPM and very quick acceleration: high torque at low RPM. The ASD Tug 3212 incorporates new Rolls-Royce rudder propulsion, with large controllable pitch propellers.

Mr Boudesteijn stresses: “Three core elements make the tug operator money; the main engine, the rudder propeller and the towing winch, therefore Damen paid particular attention to these components, with standard Caterpillar diesel engines and Rolls-Royce rudder propellers. Ultimately, the ASD Tug 3212 is a highly manoeuvrable vessel with fantastic performance. Customers get a true state-of-the-art vessel – a proven and tested design – which represents value for money.”

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Source: Damen, May 30, 2012