VESSEL REVIEW | Svitzer Jubilee – Low-emission tug to operate in Port of Tyne, UK

Danish towage provider Svitzer recently added a new tug to its UK fleet to support operations at the Port of Tyne in northern England.

Svitzer Jubilee was developed by Netherlands-based the Damen Shipyards Group as an ASD tug with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, allowing it to comply with IMO Tier III NOx emissions regulations.

The newbuild has an LOA of 22.8 metres, a beam of 12 metres, a draught of approximately 5.5 metres, a gross tonnage of 236, and space for six crewmembers. Two Caterpillar main engines deliver a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and a free running speed of 12.2 knots.

The wheelhouse offers excellent all-round visibility and is fitted with electronics that include two radars. Also installed are two firefighting monitors.

The tug is also fitted with Damen’s proprietary skeg design that works in conjunction with the azimuthing thrusters to provide the enhanced manoeuvrability necessary when working in restrictive port waters. An obstacle-free working deck ensures a safe environment while a powerful covered winch handles both forward and aft towing operations.

As with the other vessels in the Svitzer fleet, Svitzer Jubilee runs on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) manufactured from waste oils and fats that are unfit for human consumption. This is in line with the Port of Tyne’s objective to minimise carbon emissions in the immediate term and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Using second generation feedstocks to produce HVO cuts the tugs’ lifecycle carbon emissions by 90 per cent on a well-to-wake basis when compared with MGO.

Svitzer Jubilee was built by Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. Its area of operations will encompass the UK North Sea.