VESSEL REVIEW | Multratug 36 – Dutch operator to deploy ASD tug for deep-sea towage and construction support
Netherlands-based family-owned marine services provider Multraship Towage and Salvage recently took delivery of a new multi-role ASD tug. The Bureau Veritas-classed Multratug 36 belongs to a series of two tugs ordered by Multraship in June 2023 to perform deep-sea and coastal towage, salvage, and other operations.
Like its earlier sister Multratug 35, the newbuild has a length of 32.7 metres (107 feet), a beam of 12.82 metres (42.06 feet), a maximum draught of 6.2 metres (20 feet), a gross tonnage of 450, and IMO Tier III engines fitted with NOx reduction systems.
The propulsion system consists of two Caterpillar 3516C engines that each produce 5,050 kW (6,770 hp) at 1,800 rpm and drive Kongsberg Maritime US255 3,000mm fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a bollard pull of 88 tonnes and a speed of 13.5 knots.
Outfitted for emergency response and offshore duties
The tug is also outfitted for firefighting, anchor handling, and other offshore operations. The accommodation spaces for the 10-strong crew have been enhanced with additional insulation and are rubberised to provide greater comfort. The accommodation includes two one-person cabins, four two-person cabins, a mess, and a galley.
The deck equipment includes an HS.Marine knuckle boom crane with an SWL of five tonnes mounted aft of the wheelhouse, DMC towing winches fitted forward and aft, a spare DMC towing winch, two towing drums, a capstan, two anchors, and a Mampaey towing hook. The deck itself has a total area of 65 square metres (700 square feet).
The onboard systems draw electrical power from two Caterpillar C4.4TA 107kVA generators. The Fifi1 equipment consists of two foam/water monitors connected to two main engine-driven pumps that can each discharge 1,200 cubic metres (42,000 cubic feet) per hour.
The wheelhouse features an acoustical ceiling, floating floors, and air conditioning. The wheelhouse electronics include a Norselight searchlight, a radar and an echosounder from Furuno, a MaxSea TimeZero plotter, a Cassens and Plath magnetic compass, a Simrad autopilot, a Jotron EPIRB and SART, a Gill Instruments anemometer, and two Sailor VHF radiotelephones.
Support for vital construction projects
One of the upcoming projects that the new tug will support is the Princess Elisabeth Island project, which will be the world's first artificial energy island upon completion. Located 24 nautical miles off the Belgian coast, the island will form part of an integrated European offshore electricity grid that will connect various hubs and countries together.
Multraship’s Managing Director Leendert Muller said that, for the Princess Elisabeth Island project, Multraship is responsible for towing and assembling the caissons from Flushing to the island. Each caisson measures 57 by 30 meters (190 by 98 feet). As the project requires significant towing capacity, both Multratug 35 and Multratug 36 have been designated for the task.
The new tugs will also be deployed to serve the Fehmarnbelt Project, which entails the construction of an 18.2-kilometre (11.3-mile) immersed tunnel that will connect Denmark and Germany. This project is scheduled to be completed by 2029.
