Firefighting

VESSEL REVIEW | New towing and firefighting tug for TOR Group’s charter fleet

Baird Maritime

Turkey's TOR Group of Companies has completed construction of a new all-steel tug that is designed to perform harbour towing, escort, ship assist, and firefighting work, particularly in the waters of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf.

The multi-role vessel is an improved variant of an earlier 30-metre ASD tug design that had been developed by MacDuff Ship Design of Scotland. Classed by Bureau Veritas, the new tug has an LOA of 30.5 metres, a moulded beam of 11 metres, a moulded depth of five metres, an operating draught of 5.2 metres, and a displacement of 655 tonnes in standard operating configuration.

The tug is powered by two Yanmar 6EY22AW main engines, each of which has a rated output of 1,330 kW at 900 rpm. The engines are connected to a pair of Schottel SRP 1012 ASD controllable-pitch units, and recent trials have shown the arrangement to be capable of producing 42 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and 40 tonnes astern in addition to propelling the tug to speeds of up to 13 knots.

The towing equipment consists of a forward-mounted Ibercisa towing winch with a rated line pull of 20 tonnes and a brake load of 130 tonnes, an aft-mounted Mampaey 65-tonne towing hook, and a hydraulic deck crane with a lifting capacity of 1.5 tonnes and a reach of eight metres. Power for the deck equipment and for the vessel's electronics is supplied by a pair of Caterpillar C6.6 125kw generators.

The tug is adequately equipped for firefighting duties in both port and offshore waters. It has a Fifi1 system that consists of two main engine-driven fire pumps each rated at 1,329 m³/h and two fire monitors capable of discharging water or foam at a rate of 1,200 m³/h. The monitors are mounted above the wheelhouse to ensure improved all-round coverage, hence greatly adding to the vessel's flexibility when responding to incidents.

The tug is designed to be operated by a crew of nine, who will be housed in three single cabins with toilets and three two-person cabins on the main/lower deck, though there is enough space on board for accommodating a maximum of 12 people should the need arise. Amenities include a galley and mess area, a laundry room, and communal wash areas. Two 12-person liferafts have also been included for use in evacuations.

Following its completion, the tug joined other MacDuff-designed newbuilds in TOR Group's own fleet of vessels that are available for charter or sale. However, since the new tug is optimised for operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, it may be most ideal for clients located in the Middle East.

30m ASD FiFi Tug
SPECIFICATIONS
Type of vessel:Harbour and firefighting tug
Classification:Bureau Veritas
Flag:Turkey
Owner:TOR Group, Turkey
Operator:TOR Group, Turkey
Designer:MacDuff Ship Design, Scotland
Builder:TOR Group, Turkey
Hull construction material:Steel
Superstructure construction material:Steel
Deck construction material:Steel
Length overall:30.5 metres
Length waterline:27.7 metres
Length bp:25.5 metres
Beam:11 metres
Draught:5.2 metres
Depth:5 metres
Displacement:655 tonnes
Main engines:2 x Yanmar 6EY22AW diesel engines, each rated 1,330 kW at 900 rpm
Propulsion:2 x Schottel SRP 1012 CP ASD thruster units
Generators:2 x Caterpillar C6.6 generators, each rated 125 kW
Maximum speed:13 knots
Cruising speed:11.5 knots
Bollard pull:42 tonnes ahead, 40 tonnes astern
Hydraulic equipment:Ibercisa
GMDSS:Sea area 3
Winch:Ibercisa forward-mounted towing winch with 130-tonne brake load
Crane:Deck crane with 1.5-tonne lifting capacity and 8-metre reach
Other deck equipment:Mampaey towing hook with 65-tonne capacity
Interior fitout/furnishings:Mess with galley, laundry room, communal wash areas
Life rafts:2 x 12-person life rafts
Type of fuel:Diesel fuel
Fuel capacity:160 cubic metres
Freshwater capacity:30 cubic metres
Accommodation:3 x single cabins, 3 x 2-person cabins
Crew:9