All tug owners, especially those with many years of operational experience, have a highly developed insight into the requirements each new vessel must have to fulfil the needs of their own individual business. The two latest completions by Shipyard Gebr Kooiman BV of Zwijndrecht in the Netherlands over the past few of months illustrate this point.
Two well known and respected Dutch tug owners have each taken delivery of a new tug designed with particular roles in mind. Both are very impressive and each is quite different in configuration but a common feature is the distinctive style and workmanship we have now come to expect from this particular shipbuilder.
VIKING
The first vessel to be delivered was the tug Viking for Koerts International Towing Service, a contract towing business run by Capt J Koerts of Delfziyl. This new vessel replaces an earlier Viking used extensively for coastal and short sea towing and supporting dredging and marine civil engineering projects. The latter was sold two years ago to a German concern. Like many new vessels engaged in this work at present Viking has been designed to meet class requirements for unrestricted service, in this case Bureau Veritas 1 1/3 Tug Unrestricted Navigation MACH AUT UMS.
Viking is a twin screw vessel with a double chine hull, 30.8m in length overall, with a beam of 11.00m, a depth of 4.2m and maximum draft of 4.2. The vessel has a high raised forecastle with a substantial push knee style bow fender and heavy steel rubbing strakes. The open stern has a 6.5m wide, 1.8m diameter stern roller, and a very large clear after deck with space to carry two standard ISO containers. Dedicated tanks can accommodate 220cu/m of fuel oil, 16cu/m of fresh water, 3.3cu/m of lubricating oil, 5 cu/m of hydraulic oil and 10cu/m of sewage.
VIKING PROPULSION
Viking’s propulsion system comprises a pair of Mitsubishi 512 U MPTK main engines generating a total of 6,080bhp. Power is transmitted to twin 2.4m diameter fixed pitch propellers via ZF-Masson W 20500 5:1 reduction gearboxes. Fixed propulsion Lips nozzles are fitted and twin, high lift, rudders. Manoeuvrabilty and station keeping is enhanced further with the installation of an Omega 240kW bow thruster. A bollard pull of 72 to 75 tons is reported and a maximum speed of 11 knots.
Auxiliary machinery includes two Mitsubishi 6D 16T, 140 kVA generator sets and a further Mitsubishi S A3 MPTK 600bhp diesel to drive the hydraulic power pack. The latter is located between the main engines.
Deck equipment comprises, a Kraaveld twin drum, ‘waterfall style’, hydraulic towing winch accommodating 1,000m of 58mm diameter steel wire towline on the main drum and a 700m work wire on the other. A set of Karmoy retractable tow pins and line handling forks are fitted forward of the stern roller and a tugger winch and 25 ton capstan are also provided. Heavy ‘Dutch' towing bitts located aft of the winch also act as fairleads and the work deck aft has a wood covering for protection during anchor handling operations. A 200 tons per metre Heila hydraulic deck crane is located on a deep pedestal adjacent to the main winch of the starboard side. The long reach crane gives full coverage of the afterdeck.
The superstructure and wheelhouse aboard Viking and Andre B both follow closely the attractive style, now a familiar feature on Kooiman vessels, first seen on the 'Dutch Pride/Dutch Partner' series of tugs. Very much a traditional design, the spacious well appointed wheelhouse has a ‘visor’ style flying bridge and ‘walk-round’ bridge wings. The exhaust uptakes are close set and angled inwards for additional clearance. Fully air conditioned accommodation is provided for up to eight people.
NAVCOMS
An extremely comprehensive outfit of navigational and communications equipment is installed, with all of the vital controls and instruments related to the operation of the vessel located on a ‘U’ shaped console and overhead panels located centrally at the forward end of the wheelhouse.
The console incorporates four main visual display panels for radar, electronic charting, GPS and several other multi-functional inputs. Included in the electronics package from Radio Holland are two Furuno 2117 ARPA radar sets, two Furuno FEA 2107 chart displays and two Transas Navsailor systems, two Furuno GP150 GPS sets with SSAS facilities and a Furuno FE700 echosounder. An RZ Seapilot 75 autopilot is fitted, along with a Tokimec ES 150 gyro compass and Furuno DS 80 doppler log. In addition to the normal VHF radios a Furuno single side band FS 2570 set is fitted, two Furuno Falcon 15 Inmarsat C sets, an NX 700 & NX 701 Navtex and an FA 150 AIS.
Viking was launched in an advanced state of completion by Kooiman on 19 January and, with final commissioning completed, ran trials at the end of February. The tug is being marketed by Seacontractors of Vlissingen and is now working under contract to provide towage and other onsite services to a major wind farm construction project off the coast of Belgium.
ANDRE B
Andre B is the latest addition to the growing fleet of BMS Towing BV based in the Netherlands at Schuddebeurs. Under proprietor Wout Bouwers, the company is well known for supplying towage and onsite services to the dredging and marine construction industries internationally, with the existing tugs Indus and Willem B Sr. The new Andre B represents a quantum leap in terms of size and capability and is designed to be a truly multi-purpose vessel for unrestricted operation under Lloyds class 100 A1 Tug.
The design for Andre B has been developed by Shipyard Gebr Kooiman from similar recent completions, including the Ise and Meander, to fulfil the special need of the owner. Andre B is 31.1m in length overall, with a beam of 9.5m and maximum draft of approximately 3.6m and has an ice strengthened bow and longitudinal stringers welded to the whole length of the hull for additional protection. An unusual feature of the hull configuration is the position of the propulsion nozzles and propellers which protrude below the level of the keel. This allows an increase in propeller size and efficiency and is a measure used previously by this operator. The layout of the stern gear is quite distinctive and affords good water flow to the propellers and is heavily strengthened to prevent damage.
A raised forecastle and single push knee is incorporated in the bow and provision is made for a large 450bhp (300kW) bow thruster. The after deck has been kept as clear as possible, with 120 sq/m of space and provision for two 20 ft ISO containers and the usual stern roller. Tank capacities enable the tug to carry 120 cu/m of fuel, 25 cu/m of fresh water, 7.5 cu/m of sewage and 2.2 cu/m of dirty oil and a similar amount of lubricating oil. A rapid transfer system is installed for fuel and water and provision is made to take on sewage from other vessels if required.
ANDRE B PROPULSION
Two Mitsubishi S16R-MPTK diesel main engines running at 1,600rpm produce a total of 3,400bhp (2 x1,250kW) to turn twin 2,100mm propellers via Reintjes reverse reduction gearboxes. Four ‘fishtail’ style rudders are fitted, two astern of each nozzle. As previously mentioned, a powerful Verhaar Omega VB-1100 bow thruster is also installed. During trials earlier this month this propulsion system delivered exceptional handling characteristics and achieved a bollard pull of 47.7 tons.
Two Mitsubishi powered auxiliary 72kVA generators supply electrical power and a Mitsubishi S6A3-MPTK 600bhp diesel drives the hydraulic power pack.
On deck, Andre B has a Maaskant hydraulic, double drum towing winch with a maximum brake holding load of 60 tons and a line pull of approximately 40 tons. A 700m towline of 38mm diameter steel wire rope will be housed on one drum and a 400m work wire of the same material on the other. Retractable hydraulic tow-pins with a safe working load of 30 tons are fitted ahead of the stern roller in the normal way.
The all important hydraulic deck crane is a Heila HRLM 200-4SL long reach model with a lifting capacity of 9.5 tons at an outreach of 15.7m. The crane can be controlled remotely if required.
Andre B has a wheelhouse and superstructure of the same style and configuration as Viking and other Kooiman designed tugs. A crew of five will normally be employed but fully air conditioned accommodation is available for up to eight persons with all of the usual facilities required in a seagoing vessel.
NAVCOMS
The tug is also well equipped with navigational and communications equipment for the type of fully international services the owner intends to offer. Two JRC radars are installed, one with full ARPA facilities, an Alphatron ‘Mini’ gyrocompass, one Cassens & Plath magnetic compass, one JRC JLR-10T satellite compass and two autopilot systems, one Alphatron and one Anschultz. Other Alphatron equipment includes an Alpha chart system, an Alpha Wind anemometer, an Alpha Turn rate of turn indicator, and for internal communications an Alpha Call system is installed with five call points. The DGPS is a Simrad GN-33. Radio communication aboard Andre B comprise mainly Sailor equipment with two TT 3000E Inmarsat-C stations, two RT 5022 VHF sets, and one MF/HF Sailor 4000, 150 watt PEP sets. A Mini-M satellite telephone with an Email facility is also provided along with a GSM cell phone.
Andre B was put in the water at Kooiman’s Dordrecht shipyard on 8 March and was ready to commence trials by the end of the month. Wout Bouwman has expressed his satisfaction with the build quality and standard of service he has received from the shipyard. With the new Andre B he now looks forward to offering a truly international service.
