Keppel Hitachi Zosen Tapped To Build Harbor Tugs

Keppel Hitachi Zosen, through Keppel Singmarine Dockyard, will build two harbor tugs for S$17 million for the Abu Dhabi Sea Port Authority, Port Zayed in the United Arab Emirates. Both tugs are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2001. The steel-hulled, twin-screwed, diesel motor-driven harbor tugs will be built to a length overall of 33 meters, a breadth of 10 meters, a depth of 5 meters, and a draft of 4 meters. The tugs will have a bollard pull of 50 tons, and a maximum speed of 13.8 knots. Lum Chee Kong, General Manager of Keppel Singmarine Dockyard said, "Keppel Singmarine's strength lies in the construction of a wide range of tugs and smaller specialized vessels. "Keppel Singmarine has delivered six sophisticated Anchor Handling Tug/Supply vessels to A.P Moller, and recently had the honor of building and delivering Nalena Bay, Australia's most modern pearling vessel, to Blue Seas Pearling Company. "We have the expertise to build such types of vessels and tugs competitively and efficiently within a short time span." The Keppel Hitachi Zosen Group is currently engaged in the construction of six cable laying and repair vessels for TyCom, a Semi-Submersible Self Erecting Tender Rig (SSETR) for Smedvig Asia, and a crane barge and two tugs for Bin Nowiran Establishment of Kuwait. The Group is also engaged in the conversion of container vessel, Maysora, into a livestock carrier for Blue Ice Shipping Corporation, and the jumboization of the dredger, Seaway (for Baggermaatschappij Boskalis bv) and the Tender Barge, Robray T7, (for Smedvig Asia).