Marine Towage News

Marine towage provider Svitzer Europe announced it has appointed Sara Gerdner Kalle as its new Chief Commercial Officer, effective April 1, 2024. With a background spanning nearly 25 years in the logistics and supply chain industry, Gerdner Kalle will lead the Commercial function for Svitzer Europe, focusing on nurturing long-term stakeholder relationships, spearheading commercial development, and driving growth initiatives. The company said she will be pivotal in harnessing Svitzer’s commitment to digitalization to help the business and its customers to move forwards to deliver safe…

Marine towage provider Svitzer Australia announced it has appointed Veronica Jensen as its new chief commercial officer (CCO) for the Australia/PNG region.Jensen started in the role in March and is based out of Svitzer Australia’s Sydney head office. She brings commercial leadership experience across a range of industry sectors including industrial consumables, engineering solutions, the pharmaceutical industry and in shipping with more than 11 years’ previous experience with Maersk.Svitzer Australia managing director Videlina Georgieva said…

Marine towage provider Svitzer Australia is building a new facility to deliver enhanced maritime training capabilities to the East Coast of New South Wales (NSW).The company reports construction is underway at its Port of Newcastle tug base, where Svitzer’s innovative, new TRAnsverse tug vessels are forecast to enter service in 2025 (the second and third to be deployed in the world). The facility will feature state-of-the-art Kongsberg Digital maritime simulators in support of crew training and other marine applications.Svitzer Australia chief operating officer…

KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partners’ Bahamas Hub…

A new tugboat is slated to enter service for Bisso Towboat this Spring.The Luling, La. based marine towage provider has been working with Main Iron Works to update its fleet, replacing a conventional tug with a tractor tug about every 18 months. In late 2022, the Houma, La. shipbuilder began building a new tractor tug Mr. Brian—the sixth azimuth stern drive (ASD) tractor tug built by Main Iron Works for Bisso in the past eight years.Named after Bisso’s vice president of operations Brian Cyprowski…

Marine towage provider Boluda Towage announced it has strengthened its partnership with Togo, highlighting its capacity for expansion, growth, and internationalization in the West African nation.The main purpose of this meeting was to evaluate the effectiveness of the public-private partnership between Boluda and Togo, in the framework of the tugboat activities in the Autonomous Port of Lomé. During the meeting, the management of Boluda Towage also announced the arrival of a new tugboat.By allowing access for larger vessels…

Luling, La. based marine towage provider Bisso Towboat said it has ordered a new tractor tug from Houma, La. shipbuilder Main Iron Works. Construction is scheduled to commence in late 2022 with delivery in early 2024, Bisso revealed in an announcement.The 5,000 BHP ASD tug will feature two Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main propulsion engines generating 2,500 BHP each at 1,600 RPM. The engines will drive a pair of Kongsberg US205S azimuthing thrusters with 2,400 mm diameter stainless steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles. Estimated bollard pull will be 66 tons.Other onboard equipment will include a JonRie Series 240 escort winch, Caterpillar C4.4 118 KW generator sets and a full complement of safety, monitoring and electronic equipment, Bisso said.

Marine service provider Marine and Towage Services Group Ltd. (MTS) has completed a charter to deliver a Boeing 767 from Shannon Airport to its new home at the Quirky Glamping site in Enniscrone, Republic of Ireland. MTS said it was selected for the work as its diverse fleet of 30 vessels includes a number of shallow draft tugs that are able to navigate estuarine waterways whilst towing large and complex loads. The unique one-off contract saw MTS Statum tow the Wilcarry 1500 barge a distance of 1,280 miles.

A steel cutting ceremony held last week at the Singapore shipyard of partner company, ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd. marked the start of construction for the first of three infield support vessels (ISVs) being constructed by Perth-based KT Maritime Services Australia Pty Ltd to support Shell’s Prelude FLNG project near Broome. KT Maritime Services Australia Director, Mark Thomas, said this major contract for the design, construction and operation of the three 42-meter, 100-metric-tonne bollard-pull ISVs at the Prelude site 475km north-north east of Broome was a major milestone for the company.

Over the past 25 years KOTUG has been transformed from a European to a global player in the maritime industry. As a fast growing towage company KOTUG is expanding its innovative services to ports and terminals in Europe, West-Africa and Australia. With a young and powerful fleet of 40 tugs, KOTUG operates in a variety of markets, including towage services in ports and at sea as well to the salvage, offshore and dredging industry. KOTUG’s strategic objectives include expanding its global presence through strategic partnerships, acquisitions and organic growth.

Teekay Shipping Australia boosts towage services in Port Hedland to meet growing throughput at Australia’s busiest port. The 80+ tonne bollard pull tugs 'RT Rotation', 'RT Sensation' and 'RT Inspiration', supplied under contract from KOTUG International, will join three powerful Rotor®Tugs already operating in the port, which the mining industry now regards as the busiest in Australia. The Port Hedland Port Authority is forecasting an increase in throughput results from 247 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) in 2012, to nearly 500 mtpa by 2017.

Australia's largest marine towage group Adsteam Marine Ltd. has agreed to buy Howard Smith Ltd's Australian and U.K. towage businesses for A$500 million. "The transaction is in line with Adsteam Marine's previously stated objective of using strategic international acquisitions to grow its harbor services operations into a global business," David Ryan, Adsteam's managing director said. The purchase would double Adsteam's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and enhance its earnings per share before goodwill in the first full year of operations. Howard Smith said around A$250 million of the sale proceeds would be used to fund share buybacks both on- and off-market, and the balance would repay debt and fund potential acquisitions.

Howard Smith Ltd.'s likely sale of its Australian and U.K. towage operations to Adsteam Marine Ltd would enable the sluggish company to focus on hardware and industrial supplies distribution, analysts said. The deal was also viewed as a positive for acquisitive Adsteam, already the largest operator of marine towage services in Australia's mature market. Adsteam expanded into the U.S. market in 1999 and would welcome a foothold in the U.K. market. Hardware retailer, industrial supplier and towage operator Howard Smith announced earlier that it was in talks with Adsteam but said no agreement had yet been reached. "We would see it as positive in that it's focusing the business of Howard Smith on the distribution side…

Australia's biggest marine towage group Adsteam Marine Ltd posted a net profit on Wednesday of $8.6 million for 2000/01, down from $9.6 million a year ago, but said it saw early signs of improved performance. "There are early signs for an improved performance by the group's global operations in the current financial year," managing director David Ryan said in a statement. Adsteam, which recently paid around $268.8 million for Howard Smith Ltd's towage business, said it expected to match market expectations for 2001/02, currently for a pre-abnormal net profit of $18.8 million to $19.3 million. "We put out a warning late in June because we'd seen a softening in the market that was affecting our results…

Towage group Adsteam Marine Ltd unveiled a $55 million investment in an Alaskan barge group last week, a move, which was reportedly designed to drive further growth through a foothold in what many perceive as the fragmented United States market. Adsteam also reported a 44 percent rise in net profit to A$11.44 million, said it was still on track to improve its full year earnings on 1998/99's A$17.12 million net profit. "We are ahead of the same stage last year and we expect to exceed last year at every line," managing director David Ryan said, although he declined to give more details. Ryan said Adsteam, Australia's largest marine towage operator…