Dutch Tugs 9

On a windy day recently in the Beerkanaal section greater Rotterdam harbor, Jan Oosterboer took these photos, passed along by Jan van der Doe.

The small boats here are operated by the KRVE, self-translated as “rowers” but more likely we’d call them linesmen.  The more distant KRVE boat is alongside Smit Cheetah.  The link that follow are mostly for previous instances these boats have appeared on this blog.

Here’s their own site in English.

Fairplay 27

SD Rebel

Multratug 31

In the distance newly-launched LNG carrier Vladimir Rusanov, shuttling between Rotterdam and Russian Kara Sea port of Sabetta.   I had to look up Sabetta, since I’d not heard of it:  average annual temperature is 14 degrees F, -10 C

Above and below, that’s Smit Hudson.

Iskes tug Venus is about three years old. 

 

Above and below FairPlay X,

which has not been on this blog before.  Multratug 5 shows her Japanese origins, 

here with Beagle, new this spring.

Many thanks to Jan and Jan for these photos.  Any errors in text are mine.

 

Thanks to Jed 5

Click here to see previous sets sent along by Jed.  This set I’m arranging by year of build.   1972. A little info more, she’s 98′ x 30.’

photo date 5 SEPT 2012

1977.  She’s a bit larger, 115′ x 33.’

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

1978.  Husky has been renamed Maro, and she’s massive, 197′ x 50′ and moved by 12,000 hp.

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

1998.  115′ x 36′  Here was a post I did about an incident of near capsize with FairPlay 21.  FairPlay 22 did capsize with loss of life.

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

2001 and identical dimensions to FairPlay 23. 

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

2009, and 92′ x 35.’

photo date 8 SEPT 2012

2009 and 105′ x 43.’

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

2010 and 95′ x 39.’

photo date 11 SEPT 2012

2011 and 105′ x 39.’

photo date 8 SEPT 2012

Many thanks to Jed, aka John Jedrlinic, for these photos, and for being patient while they collected in my inbox.  Here are some of the many Dutch tugs appearing here previously.

 

Thanks to Xtian 2

So here was 1 and in it I said I would answer a question in a few days and now a few weeks have passed.  The question pertained to the device mounted on the stern of vessel

Husky.  Congrats to Seth Tane, who guessed correctly.  Here’s what Xtian writes:  “It’s a plough.  In French we talk about “nivelage” [leveling], which means after dredging the bottom of the sea is like a field that has just passed a plow.  This tool cuts the bump to fill the gap.  It’s also used in the rivers where the “alluvium” or the mud stays in always same places because of the current and built like “bottom hill” there.  And it happens also in some harbour (like ferries’ harbour) as because the ferries always doing the same maneuver and raise the mud that still lay at the same place.

With the plough used at the right time, ebb tide for example, the mud is raised and leaves the harbour with tidal current.  In some places the plough is used to feed the hopper dredger –  when the dredger is too large, the plough is used to remove a “bottom hill” when they are close to the bank to give the mud at the place where the hopper dredge is working.   The plough is not only used with mud but also with sand or pebble.  Google with words : Dredge – Plough.

About Husky, the day I took this picture she was working closely with the dredge Rijndelta at the entrance of Maasvlakte harbor.   I add a picture of her below.”

More of Xtian’s photos follow, like this closeup of the captain of Smit Cheetah,

 

Fairplay 24 and 21,

Union 11 passing the Mammoet headquarters,

Smit Schelde,

SD Rebel,

Multratug 31, 

Osprey Fearless, 

Pieter (?) towing Matador 2,

and finally the recently completed Noordstroom.

 

Many thanks to Xtian for these photos of another watershed.

Port of R’dam 2

I’ve gotten a bit behind with photos from the Netherlands.  These were taken in early June.

By now, Havila Neptune has made its way across the North Sea to Scotland, towing

Paragon B391, with Multratug 4 and others.

Seven Discovery is still in greater Rotterdam.

Tug Atlas . . .has returned from Rotterdam to the Baltic.

 

Here’s an interesting one . .  bucket ladder dredge Stepan Demeshev was in Rotterdam waiting for heavy lift ship Tern to take it to Mumbai.   As of this writing (July 8), Tern with cargo was in the southern Red Sea bound for the Mandeb Strait.

Last but not least for this update and here assisted by Smit Cheetah and Smit Ebro,  . . . it’s Vanuatu-flagged Global 1200, 

currently working off Normandy.

 

Many thanks to Jan and Fred for these Rotterdam photos.  I’m struck–as always–by the variety of vessels  that call there and then move on to the next job.

Any errors in current info on these vessels is due simply to me.

Random Ships 40

Right around this time four years ago, I saw my first dockwise vessel in the sixth boro and the loading process was lengthy.  There’s a link at the end of this post, by which time you’ll understand why I bring that up.

For now,  imagine what’s to the right of Smit Panther and Smit Schelde, and

to the left of Smit Elbe and Smit Cheetah . . .

Here it is . . . Armada Intrepid, an FPSO here lassoed in the Calandkanaal portion of the port of Rotterdam.

And  . . . related or not . . .  Dockwise Vanguard,  queen of the heavy lift fleet, now enroute for the Riau Archipelago . . .

Oh!  of course, they are related.  It’s time for a piggyback.

All secure and keel of FPSO is already dry.

A sailor too long at sea, upon seeing this approach, would panic!

So here is the index of “groundhog day” posts I did four years ago.

For these photos, many thanks to Hans van der Ster of towingline.com and Jan Oosterboer via Fred Trooster.

Unrelated but talking about Dutch ideas for unusual housing, check out this idea.   Here are some photos from last year when I stayed at Botel in Amsterdam for a few days.

 

Really Random Tugs 27

The first two and last two photos here come thanks to John Jedrlinic . ..  aka Jed.  He took these of Marlin in Baltimore in late July 2009.

Has anyone heard of/seen it since it was sold foreign?

The next batch were taken in the Beerkanaal area seaward of Rotterdam in early March (I think) by Jan Oosterboer and sent via Rene Keuvelaar and Fred Trooster.  I’ll just list the names and embed more info:  Iskes Brent, 

Smit Panther with 1200′ CSCL South China Sea,

Smit Ebro,

Fairplay 24,

SD Stingray with enhanced fire fighting gear,

Smit Cheetah,

Canadian built Svitzer Nabi and Nari,

Smit Hudson, 

and SD Rebel.

Look at the palm trees.  Jed took this one of Fort Bragg last month in a place where northerners probably wished they were. . . .

. .  and this one of Susan Moran in Norfolk in early June 2012.

Thanks to Jed, Jan, Rene, and Fred for these photos.