By about 17,400 units, tugs are the most frequently represented type of ship, but due to their type they only contribute 0.4% to the world fleet’s tonnage. Together with those of trawlers, the designs of tugs differ fundamentally from all other types of vessels, as their most important performance requirement does not relate to a high cargo capacity or an optimal economical sailing speed, but to the power achievable on the towing hook or the towing winch, known as bollard pull. This is of even higher priority for harbour tugs than for high-sea salvage tugs, which at the same time require a high maximum speed in emergency operations. However, the number of salvage operations has decreased due to the improved technical reliability of ships. Furthermore, governments have stationed emergency tugs off their coasts, after serious accidents with major environmental damage had occurred. At the same time, anchor-handling tugs of the offshore business used as an alternative in salvage and deep-sea tugboats have reduced the employment opportunities of classic salvage tugs, so that their once flourishing business has lost much of its importance and only few newbuildings for these special purposes have been commissioned.


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    Title :

    Salvage and Towage


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    International Shipping ; Chapter : 8 ; 555-583


    Publication date :

    2022-11-03


    Size :

    29 pages




    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English





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