Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark yesterday launched Svitzer Australia's newest tugboat 'Svitzer Marysville' in Melbourne, in a ceremony also attended by Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark.
Built by Damen Shipyards at Song Cam Haiphong in Vietnam, 'Svitzer Marysville' weighs 250 tonnes and has bollard pull of 68 tonnes. She is 24.5 metres long, and has a service speed of 12.5 knots, powered by twin Catepillar 3516C engines. At the ceremony, Princess Mary doused the Tug's bow with Champagne, before boarding for an inspection with Prince Frederick and other dignitaries.
The boat was named in honour of the bushfire-devastated township of Marysville, Victoria. In February 2009, 45 of Marysville's 500 people lost their lives and ninety percent of the town's homes and buildings were destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires north-east of Melbourne. The fires have been recorded as one of Australia's worst ever disasters.
