Kotug Smit Towage Orders Three New Tugs

With its latest newbuild order, Kotug Smit Towage will bring the total number of Damen-built tugs operating in its fleet of 69 to 22.

The European harbor towage services provider has ordered a trio from Damen Shipyards Group, including two 80 metric ton bollard pull ASD Tugs 2913 (including one with firefighting capabilities) and a 70 metric ton bollard pull ATD Tug 2412 Twin Fin.

Kotug Smit Towage CEO, René Raaijmakers, said the three new tugs will support the company’s growth in the U.K. “These Damen tugs were selected for their high performance and short delivery time and will fit perfectly into our European harbor towage operations, especially given their commonality with the tugs we are currently operating,” he added.

Damen’s Area Director Benelux, Mijndert Wiesenekker, said, “Thanks to Damen’s standardized shipbuilding philosophy two of the vessels had already been constructed as stock vessels, ensuring Kotug Smit of the fastest possible delivery time.”

Simultaneously, Kotug Smit Towage commenced a charter of a Damen-built ASD 2810 Hybrid tug, which was renamed Hampshire during Kotug Smit’s “Herring with friends-party” – a traditional Dutch event to mark the beginning of the herring season – in Rotterdam. Hampshire was freshly delivered from Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam, where she had been repainted in Kotug Smit Towage colors.