South Africa gets second ATD Tug 2909
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) has delivered a second South African-built ATD Tug 2909 – Inyathi - to the South African Navy (SAN), Damen announced on 8 February.
The vessel was delivered to the naval base in Simon’s Town. DSCT is under contract to deliver two vessels to the SAN, the first of which – Imvubu - was delivered in July 2015. They navy will use the tugs for fire-fighting, mooring and towing operations for its fleet of vessels in day and night, restricted visibility, heavy sea and all-weather conditions.
The ATD Tug 2909 has a maximum speed of 13.2kts, beam of 9.98m, length of 29m and a bollard pull of 43 tonnes. The tug features SAN equipment for maintenance saving and equipment duplication.
Hermann van Geems, Project Officer Commander, SA Navy, said: ‘Imvubu has certainly proven her worth over the last six months and we expect the same from her sister vessel. Damen has been excellent to work with throughout.’
More from Naval Warfare
-
Partnerships will be critical for future projects at Latin American shipyards
Multiple Latin American navies are modernising their fleets by prioritising domestically manufactured surface vessels and even submarines via international partnerships.
-
SOF Week 2026: US NSW explores 3D-printed USVs for forward-deployed operations
US Naval Special Warfare Command is assessing the feasibility of rapidly producing expendable mid-sized USVs in theatre to support SOF and maritime security missions.
-
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.