Keppel Smit Towage News

ABB said Monday its digital technologies have enabled the harbor tug Maju 510 to become the first vessel in the world to receive Autonomous and Remote-Control Navigation Notation from ABS classification society, and first Singapore-flagged vessel to receive the Smart (Autonomous) Notation from MPA. The notations acknowledge the breakthrough performance of the tug, demonstrating autonomous collision avoidance capabilities in trials conducted at Raffles Reserved Anchorage, off Singapore Island…

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis and its co-shareholder KS Investments Pte. Ltd. (Keppel) have completed the sale of their equity stakes in their harbor towage activities in Singapore and Malaysia - Keppel Smit Towage Pte Ltd and Maju Maritime Pte Ltd - to Rimorchiatori Mediterranei.Boskalis received EUR 92 million in cash for its 49% equity stake in the joint ventures resulting in a pre tax book gain of approximately EUR 50 million. Keppel Smit Towage (KST) was established in 1991 as a joint venture between Keppel and SMIT, a subsidiary of Boskalis. Over the past thirty years, Boskalis said, KST/Maju has developed into one of the largest and leading providers of harbor towage services in Southeast Asia.

Boskalis and its co-shareholder KS Investments Pte. Ltd. (Keppel) have received the approval from the regulatory agencies in Singapore for the sale of their harbor towage providers Keppel Smit Towage (KST) and Maju Maritime in Singapore and Malaysia to Rimorchiatori Mediterranei S.p.A. The intended sale with the regulatory approval as a condition precedent was announced late last year.Boskalis said it  will receive approximately EUR 80 million in cash for its 49% equity stake in the joint venture. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of the third quarter 2022.

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine said Thursday it had completed work on the Maju 510 tug, its first autonomous vessel project."Capable of autonomous vessel navigation as well as collision detection and avoidance (CDCA), the Maju 510 tug, owned and operated by Keppel Smit Towage, is the first vessel in the world to receive the Autonomous Notation from ABS classification society," Keppel O&M said.According to Keppel O&M, the tug is the first in South Asia that can be remotely operated by joystick control.

A tugboat in the busy Port of Singapore has become the first in South Asia to operate under remote joystick control, in a trial demonstrating the increased safety and efficiency of operations utilizing advanced digital solutions already available today.The harbor tug was controlled from a shore command center located at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Innovation Lab in April 2021.The 32-meter harbor tugboat Maju 510, which is owned and operated by Keppel O&M’s joint-venture company Keppel Smit Towage…

When discussing the arrival of autonomous workboats, many – especially those developing the technologies that enable them – say it’s is not a matter of if, but when. In fact, autonomous harbor tugs are already being put to the test in Singapore, where authorities hope to establish the technological infrastructure to enable fully autonomous ship operations. In the U.S., an autonomous vessel was shown to be able to respond to marine oil spills.But is autonomy really the future?

ABB signs a landmark contract with Singaporean shipyard Keppel Offshore & Marine to enable autonomous tug operation in 2020.ABB, in collaboration with Keppel O&M’s technology arm, Keppel Marine and Deepwater Technology (KMDTech), will jointly develop the technology for autonomous vessels and retrofit a 32-meter harbor tugboat with leading-edge digital solutions, enabling autonomous vessel operations in the Port of Singapore at the end of 2020. Upon project completion, the vessel is anticipated to be South Asia’s first autonomous tug.During the initial phase of the project…

FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd, has set a new industry milestone for Singapore by completing its 100th LNG bunkering operation.Since May 2018, FueLNG has been providing truck-to-ship LNG bunkering for two dual-fuel tugs operated by Keppel Smit Towage.FueLNG is also able to provide LNG for the commissioning of LNG systems and machinery, and trials for gas-fueled vessels. In September 2017, FueLNG completed its first operation and provided LNG for the commissioning of the floating liquefaction vessel Hilli Episeyo.“This milestone is testament to FueLNG’s ability to provide safe, cost-efficient and reliable LNG bunkering for our clients,” said Chris Ong, Chairman, FueLNG and CEO, Keppel O&M.

Singapore yard Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) said that its wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Singmarine will develop an autonomous tug that will be operated by Keppel Smit Towage.The tug is expected to be one of Singapore’s first autonomous vessels when the project is completed in 4Q 2020.To develop the autonomous tug, Keppel O&M has secured a grant of up to S$2 million from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund (MINT FUND).This follows the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Keppel O&M, MPA and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore (TCOMS) in April 2018 to jointly develop autonomous vessels for a variety of applications including undertaking harbour operations such as channelling…

Keppel Offshore & Marine’s shipbuilding arm Keppel Singmarine has delivered its second dual-fuel tug capable of running on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The new vessel, named named Maju Loyalty, was built for Maju Maritime (which is merged operationally with Keppel Smit Towage).Abu Bakar, managing director, gas and specialized vessels, of Keppel O&M, said, "Leveraging our newbuild experience and capabilities in LNG, we were able to ensure the smooth execution and timely delivery of this project. This is the second dual-fuel tug built by Keppel O&M, and furthers our track record in the design and construction of cost and energy efficient LNG-fueled vessels.

Singapore-based Keppel Corp said on Wednesday its offshore rig-building unit is on track to deliver in May what the shipbuilder said will be the first tugboat in southeast Asia that can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The vessel will be one of seven dual-fuel vessels the company is building, and will be able to run on LNG and diesel, a spokesman for Keppel said, without disclosing how much the ship cost to build. A second dual-fuel LNG tug is due to be delivered by June or July, he said. The introduction of the vessels comes as Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority pushes ahead with an LNG bunkering pilot programme, designed to support the building of LNG-fuelled vessels.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has injected another S$12 million (US$8.9 million) to boost liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering in the Port of Singapore. Half of this S$12 million has been set aside to co-fund the building of new LNG bunker vessels to facilitate the development of ship-to-ship LNG bunkering in the Port of Singapore. The remaining half will be used to top up MPA’s existing co-funding program to support the building of LNG-fuelled vessels. Launched in 2015, the initial funding for this programme has been fully utilised to support Keppel SMIT Towage Pte Ltd, Maju Maritime Pte Ltd, Harley Marine Asia Pte Ltd, Sinanju Tankers Pte Ltd, and most recently, PSA Marine (Pte) Ltd. Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA, said.

FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd (Shell), has achieved the first commercial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker transfer in Singapore by completing truck-to-ship bunkering for the Floating Liquefaction (FLNG) vessel, Hilli Episeyo. The LNG bunker transfer, which was carried out in batches from 22 July to 23 September 2017, was conducted in accordance with the Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR 56), which provides a safe, efficient and sustainable technical framework for LNG bunkering operations. This marks the first LNG trucking operation for FueLNG…

FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd (Shell), has achieved the first commercial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker transfer in Singapore by completing truck-to-ship bunkering for the Floating Liquefaction (FLNG) vessel, Hilli Episeyo. The LNG bunker transfer, which was carried out in batches from July 22, to September 23, 2017, was conducted in accordance with the Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC) Technical Reference for LNG Bunkering (TR 56), which provides a safe, efficient and sustainable technical framework for LNG bunkering operations. This marks the first LNG trucking operation for FueLNG…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) closed the third quarter of 2016 in line with expectations. Both revenue and operating profit were higher than the average seen in the first two quarters of the year. The increase was wholly attributable to the contribution from the offshore activities acquired from VolkerWessels, which are consolidated with effect from the third quarter. Adjusted for these activities there was a slight decline in revenue and operating profit compared to the average seen in the first two quarters of the year. Adjusted for acquisitions there was a substantial decline in revenue and operating profit compared to the third quarter of last year, in line with expectations.

Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) announced it has secured contracts to build its first two dual-fuel diesel liquefied natural gas (LNG) harbor tugs, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Keppel-Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) to jointly explore opportunities in using LNG as fuel. Keppel O&M's wholly owned subsidiary Keppel Singmarine Pte Ltd secured the tug contracts from Keppel Smit Towage Pte. Ltd and Maju Maritime Pte. Ltd. who have ordered one unit each. The two tugs are expected to use bunkering services provided by the joint venture company, FueLNG Ltd. The tugs will be built to Keppel's proprietary design which won the Outstanding Maritime R&D and Technology Award at the 2015 Singapore International Maritime Awards.

Royal Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis) joint ventures Keppel Smit Towage and Maju Maritime have ordered two innovative LNG dual-fuel harbor tugs, which marks a breakthrough for realizing clean environmentally friendly harbor towage services in the Singapore port. The tugs, which are expected to be delivered in 2018, will run entirely on LNG. For this reason, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore will award a grant of up to SGD 2 million for each tug under its LNG Bunkering Pilot Programme. The 65-tonne bollard pull ASD tugs will be built by Keppel Singmarine in Singapore using the shipyard's proprietary design. The LNG fuel will be supplied by Shell, for which two Head of Agreements have been signed, and bunkered through FueLNG, a joint venture between Shell and Keppel.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. and KOTUG International B.V. have reached a formal agreement to merge their European harbor towage operations following on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbor towage activities of KOTUG and Boskalis subsidiary SMIT, operating under the new name KOTUG SMIT Towage. The scope of the joint venture will encompass the harbor towage operations of SMIT in Belgium…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) and KOTUG International B.V. (KOTUG) have reached agreement on the merger of their European harbour towage operations. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014 has now been formalized following a thorough process. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbour towage activities of SMIT, a Boskalis subsidiary, and KOTUG. The operations will continue under the name KOTUG SMIT Towage. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, "This joint venture is an important next step in the implementation of our harbour towage strategy aimed at concentrating and expanding our harbour towage services in regional partnerships.

The ASD tugs KST Passion and KST Pride were were delivered to their owner, Keppel-Smit Towage Pte. Ltd of Singapore in October 2014. The two vessels are the first in the new RAmparts 3300AV series of tug designs by Robert Allan Ltd., and were constructed at the AVIC Zhenjiang Shipyard Marine Pte Ltd., Singapore at its facilities in China. On trials, both vessels met or exceeded all performance expectations, with KST Pride producing an average ahead bollard pull of 71.5 tons and achieving a maximum speed of 14.03 knots.

The Board and Management of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) wish to announce several new appointments as part of ongoing efforts to put in place a strong leadership team to continually reinforce the Group's growth strategy. Mr Michael Chia, 59, has been appointed Managing Director (Marine) of Keppel O&M and will oversee Keppel O&M's Marine Division which includes Keppel Shipyard, Keppel Singmarine and other marine-related overseas yards. Mr Chia will concurrently hold his appointments as Managing Director (Technology) of Keppel O&M and Managing Director of Keppel O&M Technology Centre. He will report directly to Mr Chow Yew Yuen, Chief Operating Officer of Keppel O&M.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Nantong Shipyard Co. Ltd (Keppel Nantong) in China has secured a contract worth S$143 million to build a heavy lift sheerleg crane vessel for Asian Lift Pte Ltd (Asian Lift). Scheduled to be completed in 3Q 2013, the 5,000-tonne floating crane will be the largest and most versatile heavy lift sheerleg crane vessel of its kind in the world. To be named Asian Hercules III, the self-propelled vessel will have enough power to lift a weight equal to over 5,000 saloon cars.Mr Lee Tai Kwee, President of Keppel Nantong said, "Keppel and Asian Lift have a winning partnership that has been instrumental to the success of both companies.

Keppel Singmarine Pte Ltd (Keppel Singmarine), the shipbuilding arm of Keppel Offshore & Marine Limited (Keppel O&M), has demonstrated its commitment to meet the needs of customers with the timely and safe deliveries of five ships. These five vessels, including a Multi-Purpose Supply and Support Vessel (MPSSV), an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel and three tugboats, have all exceeded their contractual bollard pull and speed during the sea trials. Greatship Mohini, a MPSSV was delivered to Greatship Global Offshore Services Pte.