Multraship holds naming ceremony for two new Damen tugs

Dutch towage company and maritime services provider Multraship Towage & Salvage has carried out christening ceremonies at its home port of Terneuzen in the Netherlands for its two new Damen-built tugs – one of which is the first IMO Tier III-compliant tug in Europe.

The vessels are a Reversed Stern Drive (RSD) 2513 and an Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) 3212, which were officially named Multratug 6 and Multratug 29 respectively. The naming ceremonies took place on 28 June during the Terneuzen Harbour Days, a three-day maritime festival.

Multraship managing director Leendert Muller says, “The purchase of Multratug 6 was a combined response to the need for additional tonnage and a desire to reduce our exhaust emissions. We take responsibility for the environment and this is the reason that we have chosen an IMO Tier III-compliant vessel, the first of its kind in Europe.
This is also in tune with the increasing demand from local port authorities for clean operations. The reduced noise and vibration levels exhibited by the RSD 2513 was another deciding factor, because we really care about the comfort of our crews.”

Damen, meanwhile, has built up extensive experience of how to minimise onboard vibrations from its work in the superyacht and naval vessel sectors. Damen’s Benelux Sales Director Mijndert Wiesenekker says, “Vibration is the enemy of any shipowner – and we draw on our knowledge to reduce it to a minimum on our tugs. This is another example of the benefits of our standardized shipbuilding strategy – we can improve vibration levels as the series progresses. This is important for the crew as well as for the equipment.”

While the RSD 2513 is a new vessel type for Multraship, the ASD 3212 design is well-known to the company’s personnel. In fact, Multraship has experience of operating five ASD 3212 tugs over a period of time. “It is our experience that these are very good vessels,” says Leendert Muller. “Of course they can work inside harbours, but it is when conditions get rougher and tougher – offshore, for instance – that the seakeeping characteristics really show themselves. Our crews are extremely happy to have this new ASD 3212 in the fleet. And this vessel in particular, with an open stern, stern roller and additional equipment, is a real multipurpose tug.”

Versatility of vessel design is a vital factor for Multraship, with Leendert Muller emphasising, “We believe that most of our port tugs should be able to work at sea, and that our seagoing tugs should also be able to perform port operations.”

VIDEO
A short video is available at youtube.com


Leendert Muller was named Harbour Personality of the Year 2019 during the opening ceremony of the Terneuzen Harbour Days.

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com


For more information contact:
Annemarie Nijsse
Multraship B.V.
anijsse@multraship.com


Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, 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, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.

For more information contact:
Ben Littler
Communications Advisor
+31 (0) 183 65 5546
+31 (0) 610 46 5742
ben.littler@damen.com
www.damen.com

Multraship / Novatug scoop KVNR award for CARROUSEL RAVE TUG

Leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship and its innovation arm, Novatug, have won the prestigious Maritime KVNR Shipping Award 2018 for their ground-breaking Carrousel RAVE TUG (CRT) design.

The award was presented to Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship, on 12 November in Amsterdam during the Maritime Awards Gala, an annual event organised by the Stichting Maritime Awards Gala foundation representing Netherlands Maritime Technology, The Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR), Royal Netherlands Society for Marine Technology (KNVTS), Maritime by Holland, and the Netherlands National Institute for Shipping and Shipbuilding (NISS).

The KVNR Shipping Award 2018 recognises a combination of successful realization and implementation with a vision for the future. The CARROUSEL RAVE TUG is a revolutionary design which makes it easier, safer and more environmentally friendly to work with seagoing vessels at much higher speeds than those which conventional tugs can achieve, and without the risk of capsizing. The CRT cannot capsize by towline force. It is cleaner and stronger, faster and safer. It uses the mass and momentum of the assisted ship to do its job.

Leendert Muller says, “We are delighted to have won the prestigious KVNR award. The CRT has been two decades in the making and its time has arrived. It not only represents a major improvement in terms of technology, performance and crew safety, but also results in much lower levels of fuel consumption than can be achieved with a conventional tug, resulting in savings of at least 40 per cent on an average operation.”

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com

Novatug is a subsidiary of Multraship formed to develop and market the unique CARROUSEL towing system.


For more information contact:
Leendert Muller
Multraship B.V.
directie@multraship.com


Julian Oggel
Novatug
joggel@novatug.nl

Antwerp Towage celebrates tenth anniversary

Harbour towage specialist Antwerp Towage marked its tenth anniversary on 6 September with a ceremony at Waterfront Bar & Resto in Antwerp which was attended by many prominent industry representatives and port users.

Antwerp Towage NV was established in 2008 as a joint-venture between leading towage and salvage service providers Fairplay Towage and Multraship Towage & Salvage. It provides ship owners and operators with competitive harbour towage services at all river terminals and locks along the River Scheldt in the port of Antwerp, co-ordinating its state-of-the-art operations from dedicated offices at Tavernierkaai.

Antwerp Towage general manager Robert Van Hees says, “Starting a new venture in towage ten years ago was arguably a less daunting prospect than it would be today. But it still required a leap of faith, and a commitment to investment in hardware and manpower, based on the conviction that we could provide an improved and more competitive service to the users of the Port of Antwerp than was available to them at that time.

“Ten years on, we believe we have achieved that objective, and established Antwerp Towage as a highly respected brand in its specialist area of operation. The fact that we have been able to do that is due mainly to the hard work and dedication of our workforce, and to the loyalty of our customers, some of whom have been with us since the beginning.

“Harbour towage in Europe is a fiercely competitive sector, and we must expect clients to come and go and - in some cases - to come back again. That has certainly been the case over the past decade, and we expect it to continue in the future. The important thing is that users of the Port of Antwerp have continued access to competitive, quality harbour towage services.

“Ten years is a long time in shipping. We look forward to the next ten as we continue to give users of the Port of Antwerp the service they want and deserve.”

Multraship continues to build on diverse fleet in ultra-competitive market

Leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship is continuing to build up its marine service provider capacity and rapid response capability with a number of new additions to its varied fleet of vessels.

On 7 July, the 453-gt Fire-Fighting tug Multratug 31 was christened at Terneuzen in the Netherlands. The 83-ton bollard-pull vessel was delivered in 2017, and Multraship managing director Leendert Muller says, “We are operating in a highly competitive market, employing all our resources across a wide range of different sectors. Indeed, we have been so busy that even our christenings are a little behindhand.”

In April, Multraship acquired a 50-ton bollard-pull ASD tug from a Turkish shipbuilder for its Terneuzen harbour operations. This vessel, which has been named Multratug 9, replaces a 33-ton bollard-pull vessel of the same name which is no longer operational for harbour duties and which will now be put up for sale.

Last month, the Fire-Fighting tug Multratug 7 was christened at Terneuzen. The 62-ton bollard-pull vessel was built by Damen in Romania and delivered to Multraship at the end of last year.

Two new DSV / salvage craft have also joined the Multraship fleet recently. Multrasalvor 5 (former Sara Maatje VIII) was acquired at the beginning of this year, joining Multrasalvor 4 (former Vos Shelter) which was bought in 2017.

There is also a new Multratug 29 in the fleet, with the 2015-built tug of that name having been sold to the Shetland Islands government and replaced recently by a 2018 Damen-built vessel with a higher bollard pull of 86 tons. Meanwhile, the 75-ton bollard-pull AHT /ASD tug Multratug 28 has replaced Multratug 30.

Earlier this year, Multraship took delivery of Multratug 32, the first of two game-changing CARROUSEL RAVE TUGs (CRT) Model L which will make it easier, safer and more environmentally friendly to work with seagoing vessels at much higher speeds than those at which conventional tugs can safely operate, and without the risk of capsizing under a tow-load.The contract for the vessels was agreed between Novatug, an innovation arm of the group to which Multraship also belongs, and Damen’s specialist propulsion subsidiary Van der Velden Barkemeyer GmbH in November 2015. German shipyard Theodor Buschmann GmbH in Hamburg assembled the hulls, which were then moved to Stellendam for fitting-out by Damen, which recently delivered Multratug 33, a second, identical CRT for Novatug. Novatug also plans to market smaller versions of the CRT.

Multraship and Novatug, meanwhile, have been nominated for the Maritime KVNR Shipping Award 2018 for “their combination of successful realization and implementation with a vision for the future that goes beyond their own company.” The winner of the award will be announced in November this year.

Finally, Multraship last month christened two Damen Stan Launch 804s, VB2 and Montis 5. The new launches will be operated by Multraship subsidiaries Montis Mooring Boatservice BV and Verenigde Bootlieden BV and will replace former vessels of the same name which are to be sold to Poland.

Leendert Muller says, “The sectors in which Multraship operates are constantly evolving. We cannot afford to stand still. The market is so volatile, and continues to change, giving rise to demand for new and better services. Multraship is committed to investing in order to compete and, where appropriate, to working alongside other competitors in the best interests of its clients. The market is highly competitive, in Europe and the North Sea and elsewhere, and Multraship has positioned itself as a quality marine service provider able to operate across a wide range of sectors, including harbour / terminal and sea towage, salvage, offshore / renewable energy projects and port services. It will continue to invest in quality and safety and will evolve in line with the demands and requirements of its growing customer-base.”


Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com


For more information contact:
Leendert Muller
Multraship B.V.

lmuller@multraship.com

Multraship takes delivery of first of two CARROUSEL RAVE TUGS from Damen

Leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship has taken delivery of the first of two game-changing CARROUSEL RAVE TUGs (CRT) which will make it easier, safer and more environmentally friendly to work with seagoing vessels at much higher speeds than conventional tugs can safely achieve, and without the risk of capsizing under a tow-load.

The vessel, commissioned as Multratug 32, was delivered by Netherlands shipyard Damen Maaskant in Stellendam and will operate under lease to Multraship. Multratug 32 is 32 metres long, has a maximum static bollard pull of 77 tonnes, and is powered by two Voith thruster units and two ABC main engines delivering 2,650 kW at 1000 rpm. Top speed is over 14 knots.

The contract for the vessels was agreed between Novatug, an innovation arm of the group to which Multraship also belongs, and Damen’s specialist propulsion subsidiary Van der Velden Barkemeyer GmbH in November 2015. German shipyard Theodor Buschmann GmbH in Hamburg assembled the hulls, which were then moved to Stellendam for fitting-out.

Julian Oggel, managing director of Novatug, says, “The whole CRT concept was driven by safety considerations. In principle, capsizing is impossible when towing with the Carrousel, which facilitates the safe execution of manoeuvres that would be very high-risk with traditional tugs.

“The Carrousel system consists of a base structure surrounded by a steel ring that can rotate freely through 360° in the horizontal plane. It carries a towing winch that can tilt vertically 45 degrees so that the winch can always be aligned with the towing line, providing optimal control. As a result, we can work with large seagoing vessels at much greater speeds than can be achieved by conventional tugs, and that means that the vessels themselves are easier to steer. This a major step forward for both efficiency and safety.”

Pepijn Nuijten, managing director of Multraship Towage & Salvage, says, “We are delighted with the CRT, which not only represents a major improvement in crew safety but also means that we can continue to lead the way in the provision of services for our customers. Thanks to the ingenious design of the tug, which effectively maximises the use of the kinetic energy available in the towed vessel rather than the tug’s own engine power only, the same towing force can be achieved at much lower levels of fuel consumption than with a conventional tug.”

“The savings amount to at least 25 per cent on an average operation involving a seagoing vessel. We have been using sustainable Eco2Fuel+ diesel from De Pooter Oil since trials began, resulting in emissions of soot and particulate matter being reduced by a further 16.5 per cent, and a reduction in carbon emissions of 44.7 per cent compared with regular diesel.”

Mijndert Wiesenekker, sales director of Damen Benelux, says, “We are delighted to be handing over this remarkable new vessel to our long-standing partners at Multraship. We have been looking forward to this day for a long time and it gives us real pleasure to see Multratug 32 begin what we are sure will be a long and highly productive life.”

Damen is currently building a second, identical CRT for Novatug. Delivery is expected in May 2018 and the vessel has already been reserved for Multraship. Novatug also plans to market smaller versions of the CRT.


Notes for editors: Multratug 32 combines for the first time two innovative technologies - the RAVE concept employing the longitudinal alignment of two VSP drives (in contrast to the more conventional transverse ‘tractor’ configuration) and the Carrousel Towing system. The RAVE concept was initially devised by naval architects Robert Allan and by Voith in Germany and thereafter developed further and optimised by the introduction of the Carrousel. Machinefabriek Luyt in Den Oever delivered the specially developed winch, while ABC in Belgium was responsible for the engines.

The Carrousel Towing system, meanwhile, does away with fixed towing points and instead mounts the winch on a freely rotating steel ring seated around the base of the tug’s superstructure. This not only allows the tug to turn completely freely while maintaining tension on the towing line, but also permits the tug to use the lateral resistance of the hull as a powerful braking mechanism. As a result, a Carrousel Tug can brake and steer a moving tow faster and more effectively than a conventional vessel and is impossible to capsize.

Other significant benefits include a reduction in fuel consumption of around 25% and less engine wear as a consequence of the tug not having to use its engines for all braking manoeuvres. This, combined with the power and precision of the RAVE design, delivers an exceptionally capable and safe tug.

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com


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. Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. 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. www.damen.com

Novatug is part of the Muller Maritime Group. The company's core activity is to develop and realise new harbour towage concepts based on its proprietary Carrousel technology with the aim of offering those concepts for sale and/or lease to the worldwide harbour towage sector. Novatug is the holder of various patents with regard to the Carrousel technology and the CARROUSEL RAVE TUG. www.novatug.nl



For more information contact:

Pepijn Nuijten
Multraship B.V.
+31 (0) 115 645 000
pnuijten@multraship.com

Multraship strengthens Black Sea presence with Multratug switch to Bourgas

Leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship is further strengthening its prominent position in the Black Sea region by transferring its state-of-the-art Damen-built tugboat Multratug 26 to the Bulgarian port of Bourgas for operation by its 100-percent owned subsidiary, Bourgas Tug Service.

Pepijn Nuijten, joint-managing director of Multraship, says, “Multraship believes very strongly in the strategic importance of the Black Sea region, and its prospects for commercial and economic growth. It is committed to expanding its fleet in the area to provide the quality services which the industry needs, both now and in the future.

“We have seen a significant growth in our Black Sea operations, mainly in harbour towage and in offshore work, not least that involving the Turkish Stream Project (and its predecessor the South Stream project) to build a natural gas pipeline from Southern Russia to Turkey.”

The 63-ton bollard pull, ASD FiFi Multratug 26 will significantly strengthen the Bourgas Tug Service fleet, which consists of six tugboats, including ASD and Voith-powered units.

Pepijn Nuijten says, “Multraship acquired Bourgas Tug Service in 2005, since when it has continued to enhance its reputation as a quality provider of harbour towage, salvage and line-handling services in and around the port of Bourgas. We believe Multratug 26 will be the best-equipped tugboat in Bulgaria, and its deployment in Bourgas is part of Multraship’s commitment to provide specialist equipment and services in those parts of the world where they are most needed.”

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com



For more information contact:
Pepijn Nuijten
Multraship B.V.
+31 (0) 115 645 000
PNuijten@multraship.com


Kalin Borissov
Bourgas Tug Service
+359 88 5120766

Royal blessing for De Ruyter Maritime and Logistics College and Multraship

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands reopened the renovated De Ruyter Maritime and Logistics College in Vlissingen, Holland, on 3 February, 2017. He then went aboard the emergency towing vessel Guardian, operated by leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship, which works closely with the college.

De Ruyter Maritime and Logistics College trains students as helmsmen and marine engineers, among other things. The renovation means they now have modern teaching facilities, including new radar and bridge simulators. The refurbished college premises embrace a number of nautical features, including two rooftop classrooms in the style of a ship’s bridge. The exterior, meanwhile, symbolises the shape of a container terminal.

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander performed the reopening ceremony by moving a ship’s telegraph to ‘Full Speed Ahead’. Multraship vessels, berthed in front of the school, saluted the king with their ships’ horns and water-cannon fountains.

De Ruyter College has worked alongside Multraship for decades. The company offers traineeships to students to allow them to gain the required practical experience. The King undertook a brief trip aboard the towing and salvage vessel Guardian, taking the opportunity to speak with the crew and trainees working on board the ship. The Guardian has been hired by the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment for ten years to provide emergency assistance to ships in trouble in the North Sea. This arrangement takes place under the direction of the Dutch Coastguard.

The King’s visit preceded the college’s annual Shipping Day, held on 4 February, during which prospective students and interested parties were able to familiarise themselves with training and career opportunities in the maritime and logistics sector.

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com

Multraship and Damen agree deals for Carrousel Rave tugs and ASD

Leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship, through its 100-per cent-owned subsidiary Novatug BV, has commissioned the construction of two evolutionary Carrousel Rave Tugs (CRTs) from Damen Shipyards Group. These new vessels will provide tug operators with more power, more freedom and more durability, as well as eliminating the risk of capsizing under a tow load.

 

Construction of the CRTs will begin immediately under an agreement between Novatug, with Multraship as its first customer, and Damen subsidiary Van der Velden Barkemeyer GmbH. The hulls of the vessels will be built by German shipyard Theodor Buschmann GmbH in Hamburg, with final outfitting carried out by Damen Maaskant Shipyards in Stellendam, the Netherlands. Delivery of the Bureau Veritas-classed vessels is scheduled for first-quarter 2017.

 

The RAVE design was developed by leading naval architecture consultancy Robert Allan Ltd, in conjunction with Voith GmbH. The CRTs have an overall length of 32 metres, and a bollard pull of minimum 70 tonnes. Propulsion is via two Voith thruster units and two ABC main engines of 2,650 kW operating at 1000 rpm. Free running speed is over 14 knots at 5,300 kW.

 

The Carrousel tug’s lower operational costs, speed of action and enhanced control over the tow can provide huge advantages over conventional tugs, for example by widening or even removing tidal and/or weather windows for certain ports. Novatug will offer the Carrousel Rave tugs on the basis of long-term bareboat charters, basically a financial or operational lease construction, which is both customary and proven in other capital-intensive industries such as aviation.

 

Leendert Muller, managing director of Multraship, says, "Safety is always our overriding objective, and that it is why we have opted wholeheartedly to produce the Novatug CRT. This new tug design, for the first time, eliminates what has always been the most significant threat to safety in towing – the risk of capsizing under a tow load. The benefits in terms of efficiency and flexibility, meanwhile, are also enormous".

 

“The involvement of Theodor Buschmann and Maaskant completes the so-called Novatug 'dream team' which, over the years, has benefited greatly from the input of Voith, Robert Allan, ABC and the Luyt Group, working closely together and using all their experience and expertise to produce a design which has been awarded the Dutch Maritime Innovation Award.”

 

Meanwhile, Multraship has also agreed a deal with Damen for a new state-of-the-art ASD 3212 tug as part of its planned fleet expansion to keep pace with increasing demand for its specialist services.

 

The Dutch-flag, LR-registered Multratug 31 was built at Damen Song Cam, Vietnam. A sister vessel to Multratugs 19, 29 and 30, it will operate mainly in the Western Scheldt area. It has a maximum bollard pull of 83.2 tonnes and a maximum speed of 15 knots. The 453 gt vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C engines and has two Rolls Royce Azimuth thrusters and a 2,800 mm-diameter controllable pitch propeller.

 

The vessel’s deck layout features a hydraulically driven escort double drum winch forward and single drum aft, and a 25 mt deck crane. There are two one-man cabins, four two-man cabins, a mess room and galley.

 

Leendert Muller says, “This new tug is needed, because our workload is still increasing and we are confident this will be the case for several years to come. This is not an industry where you can stand still. If you want to stay at the top, you have to keep investing in new vessels, new equipment, new technology, and good people. That is what Multraship is doing, and will continue to do.”

 

The signing ceremony for the two CRTs and the ADS 3212 will take place at the Damen stand, No. 1221, at the Europoort exhibition in Rotterdam at 1500hrs on 4 November. Photos will be available from chris@merlinco.com  after the signing ceremony has taken place.

 

 

Note to editors:

The Carrousel towing system is as simple as it is effective, consisting of a relatively straightforward steel construction, basically a freely rotating ring (the actual ‘Carrousel’) fitted around the superstructure of the tug. It is on this freely rotating ring that the tug’s towing point is located, as opposed to a conventional fixed towing point that has been the case for as long as towing has existed.

 

Tugboats fitted with the Carrousel towing system can turn around freely relative to the tow without letting go of the line. When there is force on the line, the shifting towing point also changes the centre of force relative to the tug’s centre of gravity. The tug’s own hull profile can safely be used for generating braking and/or steering forces, based on the lateral resistance of the hull through the water and given the kinetic energy present in the moving tow and/or the current. A Carrousel tug can brake or steer a moving tow much better, faster, cheaper and from any position forward or aft, than any regular tug relying on installed power for braking or steering. A Carrousel tug simply cannot be capsized by a tow load.

 

For its braking and steering operations, a Carrousel tug needs far less added energy, resulting in significantly reduced fuel consumption and emissions. The cost-saving potential on fuel alone is at least 25 per cent, depending on the operational profile of the tugboat. The fact that a tugboat with the Carrousel towing system depends on its lateral hull resistance more than its engines and propulsion systems in order to generate braking and steering forces also results in significantly less mechanical wear on the propulsion train, with lower annual repair and maintenance costs and a longer economic life for the tug itself.

 

 

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, which has been engaged in the shipping industry for more than 230 years. The company's core activities include harbour towage, salvage & wreck removal, ocean towage and support to offshore energy & dredging industries. Multraship 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. www.multraship.com

 

 

 

For more information contact:   

Eline Muller                                                                    

Multraship B.V.                                               

+31 (0) 115 645 000                                       

emuller@multraship.com

 

 

 

 

Multraship’s Muller appointed president of ISU

LEENDERT Muller, managing director of leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship, has been appointed the new president of the International Salvage Union (ISU).

The appointment was confirmed at the annual general meeting of the ISU in Hong Kong on 24 October, 2013. Muller, who has been a member of the ISU Executive Committee since 2008, and vice-president since 2011, succeeds Andreas Tsavliris, who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee.

Commenting on his appointment, Muller said, “It is a great honour to be named president of the ISU and I will do my best to represent our members’ interests as we continue working on the issues we face, engaging with our stakeholders to make sure that this industry continues to provide a vital service to world shipping.

“We all know Andreas Tsavliris’s great passion for the traditional salvage business and its heritage and history and I should like to thank him for his hard work during his presidency of ISU. Andreas has made the most of his deep understanding of the business to ensure that ISU has maintained a high profile and has been an effective trade association. He has also introduced an ISU Annual Review and a Meritorious Service Award and enabled us to publish again the annual statistics for our industry. We look forward to continuing to benefit from his experience and contributions to the Executive Committee and the wider ISU.”

Andreas Tsavliris said, “I am delighted to be handing over to Leendert Muller who, like me, comes from a family with a long and proud tradition in towage and salvage. Leendert has extensive experience of the industry and has demonstrated great commitment to the ISU and to marine salvage. I am sure the leadership of our association will be in good hands.

“It has been a great honour to be vice-president and then president of the ISU and to represent our members on the important issues facing our industry. I have tried to ensure, through numerous meetings, that the ISU is on a strong footing and has a good rapport with key industry players. Naturally, we cannot agree on all matters but I believe that we have made progress through dialogue, understanding, good communications and open discussions.”

John A Witte Jr, of Donjon Marine Co Inc in the US, was confirmed as vice-president of the ISU.

Leendert Muller is joint managing director of Multraship Towage and Salvage based at Terneuzen on the River Scheldt in the Netherlands. He is an Executive Committee member of the European Tug Owners’ Association (ETA) and a board member of the Royal Dutch Shipowners’ Association (KVNR). Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It draws on a century of experience in the maritime sector. Multraship’s core operations include salvage, wreck removal, harbour towage, ocean towage, services to the dredging, offshore and renewable energy 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. www.multraship.com


For more information contact:
Eline Muller
Multraship B.V.
Tel. +31 (0) 115 645 000
emuller@multraship.com

Multraship strengthens fleet with ASD tug

LEADING towage and salvage specialist Multraship has further strengthened its multipurpose fleet with the addition of the ASD tug Multratug 20.

Multraship has contracted with international broker and consultant DSB Offshore for the long-term bareboat charter of the 72-ton bollard-pull vessel, which was built by the Bogazici Shipyard in Turkey in 2010 and is equipped to undertake a range of services including towage, escort, anchor-handling, fire-fighting and salvage.

Multratrug 20 has two Schottel SRP 1515 propulsion units and is powered by two Caterpillar 3516B engines. Its 244 cu m bunker capacity allows for both coastal and open sea towage and, with a length overall of 32.5 m, it can comfortably perform harbour towage operations. Deck equipment includes a 200t/80t MacGregor escort winch, a 130t/65t towing winch, a deck crane, a triple shark jaw, tow pins and a 130t stern roller.

Multraship managing director Leendert Muller says, “The latest addition to the Multraship fleet underlines our long-term commitment to the maritime sector. Our new tug will be used primarily at sea, for towage, and to provide assistance and support for wind-farm and offshore construction projects.

“Although traditional shipping activities have been experiencing a difficult time during the economic downturn of the last five years, the offshore sector is healthy, with new technology being used to exploit new resources in new areas. At the same time, the renewable energy market continues to develop at an exciting pace, driven by the demand for clean, green sources of power.

“By continuing to bolster its multipurpose fleet, Multraship is ensuring that it is well-positioned now and for the future.”

For a photo of Multratug 20 (credit: Ruud Zegwaard) go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/Multraship

 

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It draws on a century of experience in the maritime sector. Multraship’s core operations include salvage, wreck removal, harbour towage, ocean towage, services to the dredging, offshore and renewable energy 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. www.multraship.com

For more information contact:              

Eline Muller                                                 

Multraship B.V.                                           

Tel. +31 (0) 115 645 000                           

emuller@multraship.com

                                   

Multraship confirms order for two new Damen ASD 2810 tugs

LEADING towage and salvage specialist Multraship has continued its fleet renewal programme with confirmation that it has bought two new Damen ASD 2810-type tugs with state-of-the-art FiFi 1 firefighting capabilities. The tugs, to be named Multratug 26 and Multratug 27, are building in Romania for delivery in June/July 2013.

Contracts for the two tugs were signed during the course of Multraship’s annual client gathering in Terneuzen on April 18, where Multraship managing director Leendert Muller said, “We are delighted to have concluded deals for these vessels, built to a proven design by a yard with extensive experience and expertise in this sector.

“The new tugs will be mostly engaged in harbour towage activities in the Zeeland Seaports and Antwerp areas. In addition to their primary duties, they will also be on standby, ready to respond in the event of fire- or explosion-related emergencies in the western and central part of the River Scheldt, as part of a February 2013 commitment entered into with the Zeeland Safety Region to keep two FiFi 1 tugs on standby.

           

“These new tugs provide confirmation of Multraship’s commitment to investing for both the present and the future. In the towage and salvage sector, if you don’t invest, you risk getting left behind. It is also important to demonstrate to all sectors of the maritime industry that you are prepared to invest money, time and resources in everything from research & development to fleet renewal in order to provide a valuable towage, emergency response and salvage capability,” said Muller, who currently serves as vice-president of the International Salvage Union.

The tugs will have a minimum bollard pull of 62.5 tons and a maximum speed of 13.5 knots. They are being built at Damen Shipyards, Galati, Romania, in which country Multraship has a representative office and provides towage and salvage services as part of its strategic coverage of the Black Sea area.

For a photo of the signing ceremony, or an artist’s impression of the new tugs, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/Multraship or email chris@merlinco.com

 

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It draws on a century of experience in the maritime sector. Multraship’s core operations include salvage, wreck removal, harbour towage, ocean towage, services to the dredging, offshore and renewable energy 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. www.multraship.com

Damen Shipyards Group (est. 1927) operates more than 50 shipyards, repair yards and related companies worldwide. Damen employs over 7,000 people in 35 countries, has delivered over 5,000 vessels since 1969 and delivers some 150 vessels annually to worldwide customers. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept and short delivery times, Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale value, proven technology and reliable performance. Damen offers a wide range of products, including: tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, high-speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, offshore support vessels, oil-spill response vessels, frigates and super yachts. For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, such as Lifecycle Maintenance Services, Customer Finance, Training and transfer of (shipbuilding) knowledge.

In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion offers a network of 16 ship repair & conversion yards worldwide, most of which are conveniently located along the North Sea coast from Brest (France) to Gothenburg (Sweden). Damen Shiprepair & Conversion operates 40 dry docks of all types and sizes and offers onsite/onboard repair services. Conversion projects range from refitting small fishing vessels into private yachts to the complete conversion or rebuilding of large jack-up rigs.

For more information contact:              

Eline Muller                                                 

Multraship B.V.                                            

Tel. +31 (0) 115 645 000                           

emuller@multraship.com

                                   

Multraship to take delivery of new Damen ASD 3212 tug.

LEADING towage and salvage specialist Multraship is to take delivery of a new design of ASD 3212 tug from the Galati, Romania yard of the Damen Shipyards Group.

The new ASD 3212 Multratug 19 has been built to a completely new design specification developed after a period of intensive research. Multraship’s specification called for a tug with minimum 80 tons bollard pull (BP), able to serve specific market segments. During its initial sea trials, Multratug 19 achieved over 83 tons BP and a speed of almost 15 knots. Final tests will be carried out in The Netherlands. The new design has been thoroughly researched over an extensive period, resulting in a tug that can perform to maximum efficiency in rough weather conditions.

Multratug 19 performed well in 3.5 m waves and is very suitable for escort services. Exhaustive research went into the design of the tug’s winch, which has been developed by Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam (part of the Damen Shipyards Group) and Bosch Rexroth, in co-operation with Lloyd’s Register.

Multratug 19 is the second vessel to be built by Damen for Multraship, following the 2010 delivery of the newbuilding ASD3213 tug, Multratug 3, built at Damen’s Vietnam yard.  

Leendert Muller, Managing Director of Multraship, says, “This is an industry which requires ongoing investment in order to provide the level of expertise and service which our clients need and demand. This new order confirms Multraship’s commitment to investing in new tonnage, and new technology, and we are pleased to be working once again with Damen Shipyards, following our previous successful collaboration on Multratug 3.”

Damen delivered two ASD 3212 tugs earlier this year to an Australian coal terminal operator, and a further 85-ton BP vessel, a sister tug to Multratug 19, has been sold to Intertug S.A. (Colombia) for delivery in June 2012 from Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania.

Multratug 19 will be unveiled at the opening ceremony of the International Tug and Salvage Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, on May 28.  

For a photo of Multratug 19, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/Multraship

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It draws on a century of experience in the maritime sector. Multraship’s core operations include salvage, wreck removal, harbour towage, ocean 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. www.multraship.com

Damen Shipyards Group (est. 1927) is a globally operating company with 37 owned shipyards and numerous partner yards. It is a major international group, but remains a family-owned company with a proud maritime heritage. Damen employs over 6,000 people, has built over 5,000 vessels worldwide and delivers up to 150 vessels annually. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept and short delivery times, Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality. Damen’s focus on standardisation and modular construction results in short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale value, proven technology and reliable performance. Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, high-speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, offshore support vessels, oil-spill response vessels, frigates and mega-yachts. In addition to shipbuilding, Damen offers efficient customer support, customer financing and complete lifecycle service.

For more information contact:              

Eline Muller                                                 

Multraship B.V.                                           

Tel. +31 (0) 115 645 000                           

emuller@multraship.com

                                   

Jan-Hein Reeringh

Damen

Communications Advisor

Tel: +31 (0)183 63 98 82

+31 (0)612 20 77 96

JJFR@damen.nl

www.damen.nl

.

Multraship utilises floating sheerlegs to salvage fishing trawler off Dunkirk

LEADING towage and salvage specialist Multraship has salvaged the fishing trawler Nieuwpoort 28 (N28) which capsized off Dunkirk on March 1, using its recently upgraded floating sheerlegs Cormorant to successfully complete a challenging operation.

The trawler capsized twenty miles off the French/Belgian coast. It was upside-down in the water and the French and Belgian Coastguards mobilised a Search & Rescue operation during which Navy divers searched the vessel but were unable to find any of the trawler’s three crew members – two brothers and their brother-in-law, all from the close-knit Zeeland fishing community.

On March 3, Multraship was awarded the salvage contract. It mobilised its Multratug 18, which held water in position while air was pumped into the trawler to keep it afloat. The initial plan had been to tow the trawler to shallow water near Flushing to parbuckle it with the Cormorant. But when clearance could not be obtained from the Belgian authorities to enter their waters with the capsized-but-floating tow, the Cormorant had to be mobilised to the site of the casualty.

The Cormorant arrived at the site on the night of March 4 and, after divers had inspected the casualty overnight, slings were prepared on the next tide and the trawler was parbuckled on March 5. The Nieuwpoort 28 was then pumped dry, whereafter a search failed to locate the missing crew members.

By this time the weather had deteriorated to such an extent that it was not possible to get the trawler out of the slings and safely break up the Cormorant’s four-point mooring system. Subsequently it was decided it would be safer to wait for a better weather window and transport the trawler to Flushing in the Cormorant’s slings, under tow by Multratug 18. On March 7, the convoy arrived at Flushing, where the slings were removed, and the trawler was subsequently towed to Multraship’s home port of Terneuzen, where it was redelivered to its owners. An investigation into the cause of the accident is currently under way.

Multraship had a team of approximately forty people working on the salvage operation. Its managing director Leendert Muller says, “This was a challenging job, successfully completed, but our sympathies of course lie with the families of the missing crew members.

“The Cormorant is stationed in the Flushing / River Scheldt area, and we have only recently fitted a new A-frame and upgraded it to 600 tons lifting capacity. It certainly proved its worth on this occasion.”

Multraship is a leading Dutch towage and salvage company. It 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. www.multraship.com

For more information contact:
Eline Muller
Multraship B.V.
Tel. +31 (0) 115 645 000
emuller@multraship.com

For high-resultion photos of the N28 salvage, please go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Merlinclients/Multraship