Port of Caen orders Damen ASD Tug 2810

The Port of Caen/Chamber of Commerce and Industry Caen Normandy has placed an order for a Damen tug to operate in the Port of Cherbourg, France.

The tug, named ‘Cherbourg 1’, is a Daman ASD 2810 vessel that measures 28.67 metres long, has a beam of 10.43 metres and a bollard pull ahead of 60 tonnes. The maximum speed, both ahead and astern, is around 13 knots.

Damen was required to modify the standard ASD 2810 to include an aft deck double drum winch, towing pins, stern roller and cargo rails to allow it to carry out offshore jobs such as towing, anchor handling and buoy deployment.

The main duties of the new tug are the berthing and de-berthing of ferries and different kinds of vessels that call into Cherbourg and carrying out light offshore duties and dredging assistance.

“We needed a much more powerful vessel to replace our tug in Cherbourg, which is nearly 40 years old,” Bernard Léger, Chief Master of the port authority’s towage department, explained. “We also wanted the new vessel to carry out a wide variety of tasks including offshore work.”

The order follows Damen winning a public tender on December 8, 2015 and delivery of the vessel is expected by the end of August this year.