Posted on January 4, 2019
Seacontractors BV is an example of the many marine service providers whose tugs and workboats undertake support activities including dredging and port construction. Its Damen Stan Tug 3011s Dian Kingdom and Atlantis are however more than capable of performing traditional rescue towage operations and Atlantis recently found itself ideally positioned to assist three vessels encountering difficulties.
Atlantis was returning to Germany after delivering a tow to St Petersburg, Russia when information was received that the general cargo vessel Amadeus was at anchor with main engine problems while on passage from Port Vejle, Denmark, to Vaasa, Denmark loaded with 1,200t of steel sheets. Seacontractors and the disabled vessel’s insurers quickly reached an agreement whereby Amadeus was taken in tow from the anchorage to Klaipeda, Lithuania arriving just three days after receiving the initial information.
As Atlantis was retrieving its towing gear from Amadeus, news came in of a potentially more serious incident when the roro vessel Regina Seaways became immobilised with 335 people on board following an engine room fire while on passage from Kiel to Klaipeda. In rapidly deteriorating weather conditions Atlantis headed for the stricken vessel and by the time it arrived Regina Seaways’ crew has supressed the fire and restarted one of its engines. Atlantis stood by and acted as escort tug as the vessel made its way to Klaipeda where it moored under its own power.
Once again, while the crew of Atlantis were busy overseeing the safe arrival of this second casualty, Seacontractors commercial department was busy contracting the tug for another vessel experiencing problems. This time it was the container vessel Iduna which found itself disabled with machinery failure in gale-force winds. Once Atlantis arrived on scene it was agreed that conditions precluded establishing a towage connection so the tug stood by the vessel until weather conditions improved allowing Iduna to be taken in tow. So for the third time in just two days, Atlantis entered Klaipeda with a distressed vessel in its care.
Paul Vermeulen, commercial director at Seacontractors said: “With its 70 tonnes of bollard pull the Damen Stan Tug 3011 is a good towing tug.”
Source: MJ
