An agreement has been signed at the New Orleans Workboat Show between Damen Shipyards group and Great Lakes Shipyard, USA, for the latter to build two Stan Tugs 1907 ICE at its facility in Cleveland, Ohio.
The vessels will be ‘Ice Class’ and operated by the yard’s affiliate company, The Great Lakes Towing Company.
The tugs will replace existing tonnage and this will be the first time that Damen tugs have been built under licence in the US.
Under the licence, Great Lakes Shipyard will receive full construction, design and engineering support from Damen.
Damen will also provide expert assistance based on its experience with construction of nearly two hundred Damen designed vessels in the US over the years.
The Stan Tugs 1907 were chosen based on Damen’s reputation and fact-finding visits made by the management of The Great Lakes Towing Company to Damen in the Netherlands.
The tugs will be treated with special, high endurance paint capable of withstanding the abrasion that comes with moving through ice.
The partnership with Damen has provided Great Lakes Shipyard with a portfolio of proven vessel designs for customers in the US.
While these are the first tugs to be built in the USA under Damen’s Technical Cooperation programme, over 200 Damen vessels have been built under licence in the USA since the mid-1990s.
