The humble tugboat has played a crucial part in the transportation of ships and goods for almost 200 years. Operating independently or in small teams, these tenacious little vessels work miracles in guiding and assisting huge ships through narrow channels in and out of harbours and ports across the world.
Manoeuvring such large vessels into dock to berth safely requires a combination of speed, precision, agility, guile, flexibility and considerable skill on the part of the tugboat crews.
Great care is needed in slowly nudging, positioning and turning a ship around so it faces the direction that it will leave port.
Tugboats usually range in size between the 50 foot (15.24 metres) port or yard tug to the 250 foot (76.2 metres) long offshore anchor tug used to pull vessels unable to move by themselves. Their primary role today is providing 'tug assist' services. One or more tugboats attach themselves to the ship to act as a braking mechanism while providing navigational support through narrow channels. They are also employed as ice-breakers and salvage vessels, for work around oil platforms and, when required, for fire-fighting duties in ports or at sea.
Technology is playing its part in advancing tugboat capabilities to produce a new breed of faster, stronger vessels which match the requirements of the ever-increasing sizes of the world's largest super container ships. Although these huge ships can move backwards and forwards without assistance, sideways manoeuvres are more challenging. Even vessels with transverse bow thrusters which enable sideways movement find this advanced technology allows only limited mobility. So the future demand for 'tug assist' services is pretty-much assured!
But what about the prospects for the very latest tugboat to come off the drawing board? Craftsmen in Holland have developed a prototype of what is surely the world's smallest-ever working tugboat. At just under 20 foot (6.06 metres) long, the appropriately-named ContainerTug 600S is a versatile tugboat with a difference-it can be transported as a 20 foot container. Potentially, the innovative little vessel could become the most adaptable, transportable tug on the market.
Designed and being assembled in Holland, this single propeller tugboat offers companies the ultimate in flexibility. Its 1,200 kg bollard pull, relatively large deck area and excellent manoeuvrability means the tug is an all-round pull, push and support vessel. Uniquely, it can easily be transported by road, rail or sea to arrive where its services are needed. In other words, it can go wherever you want it to!
ContainerTug is an enterprising and pragmatic concept developed jointly by naval architects at BEN3D in co-operation with Oonincx Shipbuilding at Werkendam in Holland. The inspiration for the tiny tug was provided by BEN3D director Ben de Vries.
"Transportability is becoming increasingly important in a market where companies are forced to be flexible," said Ben. "Despite the tight constraints of the ISO container sizes, we succeeded in developing a versatile workboat."
Outfitted with a Volvo Penta D5A TA engine which produces 121 hp at 1,900 rev/min, the tug's gearbox is a ZF 45-1 ratio 3.031:1, with a 28 inch fixed-pitch propeller, providing a service speed of six knots.
ContainerTug has integrated container fittings at each corner which means it can be stacked. The lightweight aluminium wheelhouse top is easily removed, keeping its depth within container-size proportions and significantly reducing air draft. The hull is built from steel and the tug can be supplied with removable twist-lock bollards which are easily fixed to the front container fittings.
This tiny tug with a big potential offers one further advantage over anything else on the market: it can be delivered as a building kit which means operators can assemble it whenever and wherever they want. The building kit will include all steel and aluminium parts and the hull can be adjusted to specific requirements.