Milestone with three Damen workboats

Customised vessels demonstrate capabilities in demanding global markets.

Seacontractors has expanded its workboat fleet with three new orders at Damen Shipyards Group, including the maritime services provider’s ninth vessel from the Shoalbuster range, a Damen Shoalbuster 3209. In addition, Seacontractors’ order for two Stan Tugs makes it the launching customer for the new 70-tonne bollard pull STu 3011 design. Extensive customisations increase the multifunctional design’s capacity for anchor handling and firefighting.

At a ceremony yesterday in Middelburg, the Netherlands, Seacontractors Managing Owner Xander Schanssema and Damen Sales Manager Benelux Jeroen van Woerkum signed the contract for the new vessels. The new orders represent a milestone in Seacontractors’ fleet expansion strategy, noted Mr Schanssema, who saw the potential in the new Stan Tug design to increase the company’s offshore oil & gas as well as terminal services capabilities.

Client specifications for new Stan Tug design

Seacontractors plans to deploy the two new vessels in anchoring handling and terminal works. Following extensive customisation at Damen’s new Song Cam yard in Vietnam, the vessels ¬– to be named Atlantis and Dian Kingdom - will be delivered in June 2015.

Damen’s customisation of the multipurpose STu 3011 into an anchor handling tug includes changing the layout of the aft deck and lengthening the aft part of the vessels by 1 metre to create an open stern with stern roller. In addition, Damen will install a waterfall winch from supplier DMT and a bow thruster. The STu 3011 has capacity for a 15-20-tonne anchor on deck.

In future, Damen plans to engineer standardised options for anchor handling and firefighting into the next STu 3011 vessels built for stock. These additional capabilities broaden the wide range of benefits in this new tug type while ensuring short delivery times.