SMS Towage has introduced £5.8M (US$7.6M) Superman tugboat at Hull’s Albert Dock in the UK. This is one of the owner’s most powerful tugs and has gone into service on the south bank of the River Humber to meet growing demand in the tanker and bulk carrier sector, including in Immingham.
Superman was built by Sanmar shipyard in Turkey as an azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug. It has twin Caterpillar engines that combined produce 4,200 kW of power and generate 72 tonnes of bollard pull. With this addition, SMS operates a fleet of 15 ASD tugs, seven of which were built by Sanmar.
SMS director Gareth Escreet said the acquisition of Superman was in line with the company’s fleet investment and renewal programme. It reflects the strength of the Humber economy, he said. “Business is vibrant for us on the Humber and we see this as an upward trajectory.”
As part of this renewal, SMS sold an earlier version of Superman to new owners in Murmansk, Russia. The name continues a tradition that stretches back to 1923 when the first Superman tug sailed on the Humber, said SMS chairman Paul Escreet.
“The new Superman is chunkier, giving extra room on board for the crew, and is very manoeuvrable,” said Mr Escreet. SMS has expanded into the Bristol Channel and Belfast by adding new tugs to the fleet in previous years.
