Pilbara Marine Orders 6 Rotor Tugs
Pilbara Marine Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd has placed an order with Damen Shipyards for the building of six, 32-meter Rotor Tugs. These will be deployed at the company’s operations at Port Hedland on Australia’s west coast, the world’s largest bulk export port. From there, Fortescue exports 165-170 million metric tons of iron ore per year.
The six tugs are of the ART 85-32W class, designed by Robert Allan Ltd. Their Rotor Tug propulsion system features three azimuth thrusters; two forward and one aft. Together these deliver the full 85 metric tons of bollard pull over both the bow and the stern, and 65 percent from amidships. The Rotor Tug system delivers additional benefits regarding maneuverability, braking and engine and winch redundancy. The W notation refers to the increased beam of these designs, providing additional stability during escorting operations conducted regularly at Port Hedland.
In May 2016 Pilbara Marine was awarded a second towage license by Pilbara Ports Authority for the port of Port Hedland and the new ART 85-32W rotor tugs will enable it to offer long-term, sustainable towage services.
The six Rotor Tugs will be built at Damen’s Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. The first two are scheduled for delivery ex-yard by the end of October 2018, with the remaining four due in early 2019.