On Friday 15 January, Damen Shipyards Group handed over a new, next-generation, Damen RSD Tug 2513 to Tug Malta, Malta’s leading tug operator. Named Senglea, after the nearby, historic city of the same name, she joins a fleet that already has a number of Damen ASD tugs, but is the first RSD tug to operate in the region.

First introduced in 2018, the RSD Tug 2513 represents a radical new design. Based on extensive industry consultation it is compact, for operations in and around harbours and terminals, yet it also has the power and flexibility to manoeuvre even the largest vessels safely, quickly and efficiently within restricted waters. The design is special in that it combines elements of both tractor and ASD tugs to create a class of vessel that effectively has two bows, making it equally effective at both bow and stern assists. The Senglea will have an important role to play in manoeuvring container vessels safely in and out of the harbour.

Tug Malta, which is owned by Rimorchiatori Mediterranei Spa (Rimorchiatori Riuniti Group), placed the order for the vessel in November 2019. Built at Damen’s Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, she has an impressive bollard pull of 80 tonnes. The design features Damen’s revolutionary Twin Fin skeg to enhance directional stability and provide higher indirect towing force. Other characteristics are IMO Tier III readiness, Damen Safety Glass and a glued superstructure to minimise noise and vibration.

The RSD Tug 2513 also features Damen Triton – a digitalised remote monitoring system that collects data from sensors throughout the vessel. The system is directly related to Damen’s goal of becoming the most sustainable and digital shipbuilder. Damen Triton reports such things as fuel, oil and water levels on board as well as performance indicators such as power, RPM and fuel consumption. It paves the way for more efficient sailing, reducing both fuel consumption and emissions, and for maximising uptime via preventive maintenance.

In addition to the many innovations that are standard on the RSD Tug 2513 the Senglea has been equipped with Fi-Fi 1 firefighting equipment and is fully compliant with local Maltese regulations.

“We are very happy to have completed this order and delivered the Damen RSD Senglea to Tug Malta,” said Antonio Marte, Area Manager North, West and South Europe at Damen Shipyards. “It wasn’t easy to execute this project right in the middle of a pandemic, but we took special measures related to logistics and production, whilst ensuring the safest possible working environment. As a result of these measure, we were able to secure a continuous workflow at the yard, leading to the on-time delivery of the vessel and the well-being of all involved in the project.

“This delivery can be credited to the European show-case tour that we conducted in 2018. This gave prospective clients including Tug Malta the opportunity to see and sail the RSD in their own ports. Our thanks go to Tug Malta and Rimorchiatori Mediterranei for placing this latest order with Damen and we wish Senglea and her crew many uneventful operations, fair winds and following seas!”

Mario Mizzi, CEO of Tug Malta expressed his great satisfaction with the outcome of the tug stating “We are proud that Sengela has joined our fleet and presently Tug Malta can boast to have one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the Mediterranean thanks to the continuous investment undertaken in recent years”.

He further stated that, “The new addition of the RSD Tug 2513 is another milestone in the Company’s quest to better respond to the needs of our customers delivering the highest service quality level.” Mario regards tug Senglea as a special tug which is compliant with Class and local statutory requirements and exceeds the technical specifications contracted for. In his view the design, construction, innovative equipment and other safety features of the RSD Tug 2513 renders Senglea as the jewel in the crown and takes the fleet reliability, performance and safety attributes for the company’s harbour towage to another level. Mario underlined that the new ‘tractor concept’ tug combines versatility of operations, power and manoeuvrability which are important requisites for local coastal towing and terminal support, the latter often rendered in restrictive waters.”

“The RSD Senglea is the ninth Damen tug bought by Rimorchiatori Mediterranei in the last few years and a further acknowledgement, if any was needed, of our appreciation of the inner qualities of Damen tugs,” said Alberto Dellepiane CEO of Rimorchiatori Mediterranei.