German towage group gets two Damen tugs

Damen Shipyards Group has delivered two reverse stern drive (RSD) tugs to the Fairplay Towage Group. The vessels will operate in Germany and Poland, respectively. The company also signed a further contract which will see Damen delivering an additional three tugs Fairplay, a pair of RSD tugs and one azimuth stern drive (ASD) vessel.

Damen recently delivered a pair of stern drive tugs to Fairplay Towage Group in Germany. (Photo: Damen)

“We are very grateful to Fairplay Towage for this latest order,” said Damen sales manager for Germany Joschka Boddeling. “Starting with the Fairplay 37, the company has ordered a total of seven Damen vessels over the last eighteen months. It’s an honor to see the relationship between our two companies continue to develop in this way and I’m looking forward to continuing our collaboration.”

The RSD tugs are 27.73 m vessels that provide forward bollard pull of 85 tons (80 tons in reverse). Each tug is powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3516C TA diesel engines rated 5050 bkW (6772 bhp) at 1800 rpm. The engines drive Kongsberg Maritime azimuth thrusters that deliver a maximum speed of 12.6 knots.

The ASD tug incorporates a similar engine room layout, with Cat 3516s driving Kongsberg thrusters. Both vessels also include auxiliary power systems using a pair of Caterpillar 4.4 L engine generator sets, delivering 81 or 107 kVA at 50 Hz.

Due to Damen’s practice of constructing vessels in series for stock, the three vessels of the new order will be delivered before the end of the year. Damen is also arranging the transportation of the vessels from its yard in Vietnam via heavy lift ship.

“We are very happy to place another order with Damen,” said Philip-Alexander Harmstorf, managing director of Fairplay Towage. “These tugs will help to increase the commonality of our fleet, increasing the efficiency of our operations. Throughout our previous orders with Damen, the communication and response has been excellent – they have always done what they have said they will do. Furthermore, we really value the local presence they have established in Hamburg for both sales and service.”