Three newly built Damen harbour tugs have arrived at the Port of Hamburg after long-distance transport from Asian shipyards aboard the heavy-lift vessel Finesse. The vessels were handed over on arrival to German towage operators FAIRPLAY TOWAGE Group and Neue Schleppdampfschiffsreederei Louis Meyer.
The transport was carried out by United Heavy Lift GmbH & Co. KG, using deck-carrier shipment to bring the tugs to Europe. The source says this approach is widely used for high-value workboats and offshore assets, allowing delivery without the wear that can come with ocean towing.
The delivery comprises one RSD Tug 2513 and two ASD Tugs 2312. The RSD 2513 uses Damen’s Reversed Stern Drive arrangement, enabling a changeover between bow-first and stern-first operations. The ASD 2312 tugs employ azimuth stern drive propulsion, a configuration commonly used in European harbour towage fleets.
The tugs arrived in their operators’ paint schemes. The source also notes that newbuild harbour units often bring practical upgrades such as reduced noise levels, improved bridge sightlines and updated safety systems.
By shipping the three vessels aboard a heavy-lift carrier rather than sending them under their own power, machinery hours were preserved and exposure to delivery risk was reduced over the intercontinental route. The source adds that incremental fleet renewal remains a steady feature of European towage as harbour traffic patterns shift and vessel sizes increase.
