Posted on November 11, 2024
The Damen-built azimuth stern drive tug will support construction of the world’s first artificial island for renewable energy
Multraship Towage & Salvage held the naming ceremony for its latest newbuild azimuth stern drive (ASD) harbour tug in the port of Terneuzen, the Netherlands on 1 November as part of its fleet expansion programme.
The Dutch owner welcomed Multratug 36 following its construction by Damen Shipyards to an ASD Tug 3212 design in Vietnam. It is the latest delivery of three tugs Multraship ordered with Damen in June 2023 to meet the growing demand in north Europe from harbour and offshore operations, and marine construction.
The ceremony coincided with Multraship’s 40th anniversary, as the owner was established by the Muller family in 1984 to provide specialist towage and salvage services.
Multratug 36 is designed and built for deepsea and coastal towage, salvage and other maritime and offshore operations in the Benelux nations. It is a 33-m tug with propulsion upgraded to comply with IMO Tier III emissions standards. A selective catalytic reduction (SCR) unit is installed to reduce NOx emissions by 80% compared with IMO Tier II requirements.
This 447-gt vessel is a sistership of Damen-built Multratug 35, which was named in May 2024, and has a bollard pull of 90 tonnes, a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting system and deck machinery for anchor handling and related offshore operations. Crew accommodation space has been enhanced with additional insulation to improve crew comfort. Multratug 35 has 88 tonnes of bollard pull.
ASD 3212 tugs have a top speed of 14 knots, a beam of 13 m, a draught of 6 m, accommodation for 10 crew members and storage for 148 m3 of fuel oil.
Both Multratug 35 and Multratug 36 are supporting the construction of Princess Elisabeth Island, the world’s first artificial island for renewable energy, located 24 nautical miles off the Belgian coast. This initiative is expected to play a crucial role in Belgium’s green energy transition.
“For the Princess Elisabeth Island project, Multraship is responsible for towing and assembling the caissons from Flushing to the island,” explains Multraship managing director, Leendert Muller. “Each caisson measures 57 m in length, 30 m in width and 30 m in height, serving as the foundation for the island’s structure. This project requires significant towing capacity, and Multratug 35 and Multratug 36 have been designated for the task.”
Multraship also delivers towage and marine support services for the Fehmarnbelt project, Denmark’s largest infrastructure project and the world’s longest immersed tunnel.
Multraship provides seven vessels to the project, which will culminate in an 18-km tunnel connecting Denmark and Germany when it opens, expected in 2029.
“We are immensely proud to be part of these significant marine infrastructure projects, both of which will not only promote sustainability and the energy transition but also drive the advancement of innovative infrastructure in Europe,” says Mr Muller.
To implement these projects without affecting its existing operations and commitments, Multraship needed to expand its existing fleet with these newbuild tugs. “With these new additions to our fleet, we remain committed to providing services of the highest standard,” says Mr Muller.
“Part of this is ensuring our fleet is equipped to provide rapid, reliable and safe operations. We are very pleased to welcome Multratug 36 to our fleet formally.” Multraship is a division of the Muller Maritime Group, jointly owned by the Muller family and Fairplay Towage.
