Leading global towage operator Svitzer Europe has today announced that it has signed a contract with Damen Shipyards Group for the delivery of Svitzer Thames, an 80 ton bollard pull azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug, to support its operations in the Port of London.

Svitzer Thames will arrive in London by the end of the first quarter of 2021, and will start operating immediately upon arrival. At more than 32m long and with a beam of almost 13m, Svitzer Thames will be equipped with the power and manoeuvrability, and in the hand of our capable crew it will be able to handle the very largest of container vessels calling at the Port of London. The new vessel will add further efficiency and capability to the service provided by Svitzer in one of Europe’s most important shipping hubs.

Commenting on the delivery of the vessel, Lise Demant, Managing Director for Svitzer Europe, said: “Svitzer Thames is a particularly welcome addition to our London fleet, enabling us to upgrade and improve our already excellent service in one of Europe’s most crucial ports. Its delivery comes at a perfect time to support our ambitions of even greater service quality and growth for the new decade.”

Maurice McKeating, Managing Director of Svitzer UK South, added: “We are looking forward to adding Svitzer Thames to our London fleet at the end of Q1 this year. Svitzer Thames’ capabilities make it ideally suited to service the range of vessels that call at the Port of London, and particularly the increasingly large container vessels that are delivering cargo to one of the UK’s busiest ports. We look forward to the arrival of the Svitzer Thames and seeing our customers enjoy the added capability and efficiency that it will provide.”