Europe Cargo Handles 9 Tugs

Europe Cargo, the Belgian member of the FPS Group of independent forwarders and NVOCCs, has undertaken the port agency and stevedoring for nine Damen Stan tug boats, being shipped from Shanghai to Gorinchem, Netherlands.
 
The brand new vessels – five Type 1606, each weighing 86 metric tons, and four Type 1205, each weighing 55 metric tons - were loaded on deck and in the hold of MS Clipper Marlene (a multi-purpose vessel owned by Clipper of Denmark) secured to custom-built transport cradles.
 
On arrival in Rotterdam, the tugs were released from their cradles and offloaded onto the quay using the ship’s own three 60 metric ton capacity deck cranes; a shore-based 200 metric ton mobile crane was then deployed to lower the tugs direct into the water, as the outreach of the ship’s own gear was insufficient. The cradles were discharged separately onto waiting trailers. All operations were completed in a single working day.
 
Once in the water, the tugs were transported 40 km by pushboats to the Damen yard at Gorinchem, where they are being fully fitted out.