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Back to SSG 2
Svitzer Korsakov is one of two new tugs built in St Petersburg. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen
Russian-built Svitzer tugs to serve Sakhalin II
Svitzer A/S has taken delivery of its first tugs built in Russia. They are the sister vessels Svitzer Korsakov and Svitzer Busse, which were delivered in late December 2007 from Admiralteyskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod at St Petersburg.
The two tugs are the third and fourth to serve the Russian Sakhalin Energy offshore project Sakhalin II. Sakhalin Energy has an LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) production plant situated in Aniva Bay off the southern tip of Sakhalin Island in Far East Russia.
Svitzer Sakhalin, the company owning the tugs, has signed up with Royal Dutch Shell for the terminal contract, as Shell is one of the majors in the Sakhalin II project. When Svitzer was awarded the contract for serving the LNG terminal a couple of years ago it was part of the terms that half the tugs to serve the terminal should be built in Russia. So two of the four sisters were ordered in St Petersburg. The first two have been in service since the beginning of 2007 after being built by ASL Shipyard in Singapore. The tugs from Singapore were named the Svitzer Sakhalin and the Svitzer Aniva.
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Svitzer Busse and Svitzer Korsakov alongside in Fredericia, Denmark, for bollard pull testing before sailing off to Sakhalin. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen |
Operate in pairs
The four tugs will provide the necessary tug service at the offshore LNG terminal situated in Aniva Bay, which for part of the year is covered in ice. Therefore the tugs are built as icebreakers and can operate as a pair – side by side they can break a channel for the large LNG tankers, which will load on the single boy mooring loading point.
The LNG has been sold mainly to Japanese buyers, but will in the future also be sold to other countries in the Far Eastern area. Part of the tugs’ work area will also be buoy maintenance, which will be handled with the large (considering the tug’s size) knock-boom crane fitted on the aft deck. The tugs are also fitted with a stern roller for anchor handling.
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Svitzer Korsakov has a towing winch on the fore deck for the work offshore Sakhalin. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen |
On arrival at the Sakhalin port of Korsakov, which will be the base port, the tugs were taken over by a Russian crew. On the voyage to Singapore the St Petersburg built tugs will be sailed by a joint crew of Russians and British provided by the Dutch company Red Wise (the former Wijsmüller Delivery Service).
The arrangement on the Sakhalin II project is typical for main business areas in Svitzer. Terminal contracts has been a major part of the business for some time now and the area will grow in the future, where the company – which is the largest tug company in the world – will compete to take more terminal contracts as they are put on the market for bidding.
“We want to expand in this area and therefore we constantly have an order portfolio of 35–50 tugs to be delivered within the coming years”, says Lars Seistrup, vice president of Svitzer, to SSG.
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The switchboard in the engine room. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen |
European equipment
Although the Svitzer Korsakov and the Svitzer Busse were built in St Petersburg for a Russian operation, they are fitted with European equipment, from the Norwegian Rolls Royce Diesel to Volvo Penta auxiliaries and alarm systems. The tugs will be maintained alongside in the base port with a spare part stock in a local warehouse instead of being stowed on board.
“Russia is not so complicated to reach anymore and spare parts from western manufacturers can easily be flown in to the country” explained the Russian chief engineer on the Svitzer Korsakov.
The tugs are fitted with a double Bergen-diesel engine plant, which develops a total output of 4,800 kW. The bollard pull is 70 tons from two Aquamaster propellers aft, giving a speed of twelve knots.
The tugs’ control centre is the wheelhouse with large windows and a great view over the aft deck and fore deck, where the only towing winch is placed.
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Svitzer Busse shows the unusual knock-boom crane on the aft deck. Photo: Bent Mikkelsen |
The aft deck is a working deck with a wooden patch for the buoy handling from the large knock-boom crane lifting up to ten tons.
The accommodation provides single cabins for all six crew members with the chief engineer and the captain situated on the main deck and the rest of the crew below the main deck. All cabins have private facilities with shower and toilet. Galley and mess room are on the main deck, where there also are facilities for changing clothes after being on deck.
The transfer from St Petersburg via Fredericia and Ijmuiden to Singapore was made under the St Vincent and Grenadine flag. That flag has been the preferred one for Svitzer’s tugs when registered offshore and also for delivery voyages. They have mainly been from the Far East shipyards to Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
//Bent Mikkelsen
Latest update 24-01-2008 12:01 |
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