Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Svitzer for the delivery of an ASD Tug 3212. The vessel, to be named Svitzer Thames, will operate in the Port of London. She will be the fourth Damen ASD Tug 3212 in the company’s UK fleet.

Damen and Svitzer signed the contract for the vessel in December last year. Thanks to Damen’s practice of building proven, standardised vessels for stock, Svitzer is able to take delivery of its new tug in Q1 2021.

Kasper Karlsen, Svitzer Europe COO said, “We already operate a number of Damen ASD Tugs 3212, including four in the south of the UK so operational synergies are obvious. We’ve been impressed by the model’s ability to handle large container vessels and by its reliability. When we were looking to expand our fleet, it made sense to approach Damen.”

Damen sales manager Martin Verstraaten said of the order, “I’m very pleased that Svitzer’s experience with the ASD Tug 3212 has brought them once again to Damen. Coming at the end of 2020, with various lockdowns and travel restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the contract was not without its challenges. However, thanks to the excellent relationship we enjoy with Svitzer and to the clear channels of communication between Svitzer in the UK & Denmark and Damen, we were able to make this happen digitally.”

Damen’s ASD Tug 3212 exhibits excellent seakeeping characteristics, superb manoeuvrability and, with 80 tonnes bollard pull, the outstanding towing characteristics required to handle the large container vessels Svitzer Thames will encounter in the Port of London.

The state-of-the-art vessel includes the latest hull and skeg designs and the most recent developments in fender, fairlead and winch design.

Heavily built, the ASD Tug 3212 features rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, brackets and fenderings, going above and beyond class requirements.