The Damen ASDTug 3213 design is the latest addition to the ASD Tug family.
The first yard number, YN513001, was recently delivered to its new owner, Smit International, at the Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.
This vessel is now on its way to Venice where it is expected to arrive at the beginning of August 2009.
'Smit Panther' is the first Damen ASD 3213 Tug in a series of four being built for Smit International. The other three tugs, 'Smit Jaguar', 'Smit Cheetah' and 'Smit Tiger', will be delivered by September this year.
The 'Smit Panther' is 32.14 metres long, 13.29 metres wide, with a 5.5-metre depth at side and a draught of 6.43 metres. When fully loaded the vessel has a displacement of 1,035 tonnes and a gross tonnage of 484 tonnes.
The stable platform of the vessel, the low height and the positioning of the superstructure and the large tumblehome of the funnels ensure that operating under the ship's flare is easy and safe.
The large freeboard, the raised forecastle deck and exceptional width all contribute to make the vessel suitable for offshore and escorting operations. The vessel is also designed for safe operation at LNG terminals.
The vessel is classed according to Lloyd's Register: X 100 A1 Escort Tug [X] LMC UMS Fire Fighting Ship 1 with water spray system.
Two mounted Caterpillar C280 eight-cylinder diesel engines, with a total of 5,720kW, deliver the total power for the vessels. These engines comply with IMO Tier 2 emission regulations. Each main engine drives a Rolls Royce type US 285 thruster with a 3000mm controllable pitch propeller.
Extended trials were performed in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Bollard pull, manoeuvring and speed trials were executed and noise and vibration levels were measured under all types of sailing conditions.