Damen Delivers Three ASD Tugs to Kenya

The Damen ASD Tugs 3110 SIMBA III, KIBOKO II AND NYANGUMI II are not the first Damen Tugs to be used in the port of Mombasa. In 1982 DAMEN already delivered the “EL-LAMY”, a Stan Tug 3300 with a bollard pull of 55 ton.

The port of Mombasa has two main functions:

§ It is used as harbour for import and exports as a gateway to East Africa. For these purposes freighters and container vessels up to 85.000 ton visit the port.

§ Of even more importance is the function of the harbour as a cruise vessel port.

The largest cruise vessels like “Queen Elisabeth” visit the port regularly. The assistance of a tug is compulsory because of safety and environmental reasons in the port of Mombasa. The tugs SIMBA III, KIBOKO II AND NYANGUMI II have more than 2.5 times the bollard pull of its predecessors, and on top of that all tugs are equipped with a fire fighting capacity of 600 m3/hr and the tug NYANGUMI II is fitted with buoy handling, salvage and oil pollution equipment, she has a 44 tm meter hydraulic crane, decompression chamber, oil booms and oil skimmers.

Lloyd’s Register of Shipping classifies her for Unrestricted Service and Unmanned engine room.

Hull and superstructure

The Damen ASD Tug 3110 has a round bilge hull with a transom stern and a tapered bow. The transom corners are well rounded and the forecastle gives sufficient bow height for severe working conditions. The hull shape is of proven design, more than 100 Damen ASD Tugs are built based on this successful design. The hull is divided into 5 watertight compartments and is of a very strong construction with side and bottom plating of 12 mm and decks of 8 mm thickness. The aft deck is suitable for a specific weight of 3 ton per square meter. The tugs have a durable epoxy paint system.

The Damen ASD Tug 3110 also has an extensive fendering. The sides are protected with a rubber D-fender of 380 by 380 mm, and at the bow a triple cylindrical fender is fitted, with two fender of 600 mm diameter, with a 500 mm diameter fender on top.

The steel superstructure is placed on the forecastle deck and has 6 mm thick side plating and 7 mm front plating. Two Caterpillar 3516 TA HD engines power the SIMBA III, KIBOKO II AND NYANGUMI II. The main engines have a total output of 3450 bkW or 4626 hp at 1600 rpm. Thanks to this high output, combined with the large 2400 mm diameter Rolls Royce US 205 rudder propellers, the "SIMBA III, KIBOKO II AND NYANGUMI II" are achieving a bollard pull of 58 tons. The steering is by means of Rolls Royce combinator control handles. The wheelhouse has a control stand at centre forward.

The tugs are fitted with comprehensive deck equipment, consisting of a Mampaey disc-type towing hook with a Safe Working Load of 65 tons, a Kraaijeveld capstan of 5 ton at 15 m/min and a stern roller on the aft deck. On the fore deck a combined hydraulic Kraaijeveld anchor winch and two-speed towing winch with a pull of 18 ton at 11m/min is fitted, with a holding power of 130 ton. It is complete with a warping head.

Furthermore tug NYANGUMI II is fitted with a hydraulic knuckle boom type deck crane. This Effer crane (type 440002S) has a capacity of 5.75 ton at 7.6 m. On NYANGUMI II a standard 20 ft container is fitted with a decompression chamber, also diving compressors and diving equipment are fitted. On “NYANGUMI II” also oil pollution equipment is fitted; 400 meter of Vicoma oil boom and Vikoma Komara 20 skimmers and a dispersant system with pumps and booms.

The nautical and communication equipment is in compliance with the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) for Area A3. Two Sailor RT 4822 VHF radios are fitted, equipped with DSC. Also, a Furuno SSB FS-1570 radiotelephone with DSC unit, a Furuno NX-500 Navtex and a Furuno Felcom 15 Inmarsat system are installed. The navigation equipment consists of a magnetic kotter compass with a Litton LMP/STA/M autopilot, a Furuno FR-1505 Mk III radar, Furuno GP-80 GPS navigator and a Furuno FE 700 echo sounder.