Second tug for South African Navy

A Damen ATD 2909 Tug on order for the South African Navy is in production at Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), Damen announced on 22 July.

This is the second of two tugs on order from the shipyard, which together will replace the navy’s existing harbour and coastal tugs, De Neys and De Mist. The first built was delivered earlier this month, and the second will follow in January 2016. 

The tugs, named Inyathi (Buffalo in English) and Imvubu (Hippo) are SAMSA Class VIII vessels, equipped with rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, extra brackets and extra fendering.

They will perform towing, mooring and fire-fighting operations to assist the navy’s current and future fleet of vessels under all-weather, heavy sea, restricted visibility, day and night conditions within the confines of the Southern African ports and in coastal waters.

The tugs have a bollard pull of 43 tonnes, a length of 29m, a beam of 9.98m, a maximum speed of 13.2 knots and a propulsion system of two Caterpillar 3512C HD engines with a total power of 3,000 bkW at 1,600 rpm. They are outfitted with Rolls Royce US 205 azimuth thrusters.

Commander Hermann van Geems, South African Navy project officer, said: ‘We were looking for a proven design and a commercial off-the-shelf product. Damen Shipyards Cape Town’s bid had the highest points combined with the right contract price. 

‘After the successful submission of the Armscor tender, DSCT was selected as the preferred bidder. The project team managing the acquisition describes the working relationship with Damen and the assistance it has received as excellent.’