French flag vessel to carry out harbour towing work in French Guiana
On 9th January, Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld delivered an ASD Tug 2310 SD (shallow draught), named Papillon, to De Boer Remorquage SARL, a subsidiary company of Dutch Dredging (Baggerbedrijf De Boer) and Iskes Towage & Salvage. Damen has customised the ASD for a 12-year contract with Grand Port Maritime de Guyane in the ports of Cayenne and Kourou in French Guiana.
The tug’s primary function will be the assistance of vessels entering and leaving the ports. She can also provide emergency assistance, such as fire-fighting, survey activities and small transports. Additionally, the vessel is built under French flag rules, ready for operation in the French overseas department.
The ASD has been designed to meet the requirements of the end client – Grand Port Maritime de Guyane – which contributed to the design with its own consultant, Hydro GC. The ASD Tug is Damen’s first delivery to Dutch Dredging, though Iskes Towage & Salvage has a number of Damen vessels in its fleet.
Managing Director of Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld Jos van Woerkum said, “The collaboration with all parties during the design and construction of this vessel has been excellent. Working together closely, we have been quickly able to identify the full scope of requirements and turn the versatile Damen ASD 2310 SD design into something that exactly meets the needs of the end user. We wish De Boer Remorquage SARL and Grand Port Maritime de Guyane every success with Papillon.”
In a statement, the Managing Directors of Dutch Dredging and Iskes Towage said, “Due to the extensive demands of the contract, Damen had to cope with some tough challenges during construction in order to meet all requirements and limitations. It has certainly not always been easy, but they managed to meet every challenge and delivered a vessel that perfectly matches our and our clients’ requirements. We are also pleased that during the entire construction process a very good cooperation with all other parties involved – our client Grand Port Maritime de la Guyane, their maritime experts Earthcase and Hydro GC as well as the French maritime authorities ‘Direction de la Mer’ and the French customs office – has led to a smooth delivery of the vessel.”
Joining Papillon in French Guiana later this year, will be a WID 2915 Hybrid Tug. Damen is configuring the vessel with dredging capabilities using the air and water injection dredging method (AIRSET). Following delivery, both vessels will undergo an official naming ceremony in French Guiana.
