South African Navy’s second Damen ATD 2909 tug in production

These tugs are to replace two existing harbour and coastal tugs, De Neys and De Mist, built in 1969 and 1978, respectively. They will remain in service until the delivery of the second ATD. The new tugs are equipped to safely assist the SA Navy’s current and future fleet of vessels under all-weather, heavy sea, restricted visibility, day and night conditions within the confines of the Southern African ports and in coastal waters. Equipped with rigid foundations, extra plate thickness, extra brackets and extra fendering, they will be deployed for towing, mooring and fire-fighting operations.
They are further outfitted with SA Navy equipment to ensure equipment duplication and maintenance saving. The ATD tugs have a bollard pull of 43 tonnes, a length of 29m, beam of 9.98m and reach a maximum speed of 13.2 knots. Their propulsion system comprises two Caterpillar 3512C HD engines with a total power of 3,000 bkW at 1,600 rpm and Rolls Royce US 205 azimuth thrusters.