Sharjah Ports Authority has taken delivery of a Damen Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) Tug 2411, named Al Luolo’ Aya, with a ceremony held at Damen Shipyards, Sharjah, in the presence of Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Seaports and Customs at the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone.
The Sharjah Port and Customs Authority is a long-term customer of Damen and has eight Damen Stan Tugs and a recently delivered Damen pilot boat in its fleet. The new Damen ASD 2411 is the port’s first ASD tug.
Following the ceremony, Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah bin Sultan Al Qasimi toured and inspected the Al Luolo’ Aya. He said: “I am impressed by the quality and outfitting of all the A-brand materials on board.”
The tug was built at Damen Shipyards Sharjah, which is located in the Hamriyah Free Zone and is one of three ports owned and operated by Sharjah Ports Authority.
At the same facility, Damen is also constructing a series of ASD Tugs 2411 and 2810, both on speculation and on contract.
The Damen ASD Tug 2411 will be deployed at Port Khor Fakkan in the UAE.
(Source: Damen Shipyards)
Khor Fakkan is one of the leading container transhipment ports. It is strategically located on Sharjah's Indian Ocean coast, just outside the Straits of Hormuz and close to the main east-west shipping routes.
Khor Fakkan's location makes it an obvious choice for shipping lines with large transhipment volumes and which also require easy access to the UAE hinterland.
Recently, a major expansion of the port has been completed and the new tug will allow the port to handle even larger container vessels.
Pascal Slingerland, Sales Manager at Damen Middle East, said: “The ASD Tugs are highly manoeuverable and powerful and ideally suited to operations in Khor Fakkan. We are extremely proud to have built this vessel ‘in Sharjah and for Sharjah’ according to the world’s highest shipbuilding standards.
“We have built some 70 Damen ASD Tugs 2411 over the years and a large number of these vessels are operating very successfully here in the UAE.”
With onsite warranty and service engineers and modern newbuild and drydock facilities, Damen can provide the best service throughout the lifetime of the vessel.
Fact File: Damen Shipyards group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 5,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide.
