Smit Lamnalco takes delivery of second Damen oil and gas support Stan Tug 2208 type
Smit Lamnalco has taken delivery of, and will soon deploy, the ‘SL Kiwi’. It’s their second tug of the Damen STu 2208 type. The 39.4 tonne bollard pull tug will join the sister ship ‘SL Kittiwake’, delivered late 2012, to support Single Point Mooring operations, the company said in its press release.
Built at Damen’s facilities in Gorinchem (the Netherlands), the ‘SL Kiwi’ left Rotterdam on board a Heavy Lift vessel by Christmas 2013. From Smit Lamnalco’s perspective the short lead time was important.
“Although short lead times naturally are one key element in our standard design USP, the vessel does have a number of client-specific features, such as an open stern with removable bulwark top plate and Smit Lamnalco corporate colours. In addition, various options from our ‘catalogue of OEM extras’, such as a deck crane and fuel oil separator unit, were selected too”, Jan de Vente project manager for tug newbuilds at the Damen Shipyards Gorinchem head office says.
Like its sister ship, the ‘SL Kiwi’ will to a large extent be deployed in marine services to the oil and gas terminal industry, including diving support. Hence the various extras. The Stu 2208 type vessels were dominantly designed for towage and harbour mooring assistance.
In keeping with Damen Shipyards’ design and type notation house style, Stu 2208 simply and efficiently means: Standard Tug, 22 metres long, 8 metres wide. Since ‘standard’ does not stand for ‘standstill’ – as with any of Damen’s Standard Design series – there is continuous improvement of standards based on heavy duty technologies and principles. “This is an extra asset when the tugs are deployed for offshore support which includes long or even semi-permanent in-field presence.”
