Damen tugboat enters service in New Zealand

Named TōIA, Maori for "to pull", it is the first new tug there in 32 years and represents a significant upgrade of capability.
Jointly owned by the Nelson City Council and the Tasman District Council, Port Nelson is a regional economic hub and investing in its infrastructure. In recent years the port has been steadily receiving ever larger ships, with vessels of up to 248m becoming regular visitors, Damen notes. It is also not the easiest port in which to manoeuver. At 4.5m, the tidal range is said to be the largest anywhere in New Zealand, and it creates strong currents. Added to that are strong winds that can come up suddenly from both the south and north.
“With 50 tonnes of bollard pull, the new tug will see our safety margins being much improved on the bigger ships,” commented Harbour Master Dave Duncan. “Now we’ve got the power we need to slow or stop even the larger vessels moving forward, and to pull or push them against strong winds and tides.”
The 23m tug was built at Damen Shipyards Changde in China and is the eighteenth in the series. Modifications to the standard ASD 2310 design to meet the particular needs of Port Nelson included upgrading the bollard pull from 46 to 50 tonnes, and the fitting of Panama chocks through the stern plates. Damen also built and installed a gangway to a design provided by Port Nelson.  
With accommodation for four persons, TōIA has a total power of 3,000 bkW (4,023bhp) at 1,600rpm from two Caterpillar 3512C TA HD+/C main engines.