Damen delivers ice-classed tug to Lithuania
The tug was available from stock at Damen Shipyards Galati, with the additional outfitting and commissioning being completed in three months
The largest tugboat service provider in the Port of Klaipeda, Lithuania, this is the company’s first purchase of a Damen tug, although it also currently charters a Damen 3110 from the Klaipeda State Seaport Authority.
Named Klasco-3, the ASD tug 2810 ICE will be based in Klaipeda and employed in day-to-day port towage operations. It will be the first tug in Klaipeda with an ARC4 ice class and escort notation approved by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. According to Gediminas Rubys, director of Klasco Towage Assistance, Klasco-3 was purchased as part of the company’s ongoing capacity improvement strategy.
Although Klaipeda is ice free all year round, floating ice can come down the river, hence the requirement for an ice-classed tug, Klasco noted. With air temperatures reaching up to -25°C, winterisation was also a necessity, involving the fitting of additional insulation to the engine room decks and sides, as well as to the RP room, plus heated windows, good thermal insulation of the accommodation area, and heating systems capable of managing the harsh conditions.
