Damen Shipyards Group has delivered two RSD Tugs 2513 to Italy-based Tripmare, which will use the vessels to meet the demands of escalating vessel traffic in the Adriatic port of Trieste.
Damen has tailored the standard design of its RSD Tug 2513 for its client, including FiFi1 notation, oil recovery capabilities and a third generator, and has prepared the vessels for IMO Tier III compliance with the in-house developed Damen marine NOx reduction system.
Tripmare needed to increase its capabilities in line with the growing size of vessels calling at the port, which includes MSC’s ultra large 24,000 TEU container vessels. The new tugs will replace an existing tractor tug and an ASD tug in the Tripmare fleet.
Alberto Cattaruzza, CEO Tripmare, said: “We are proud to introduce this modern, powerful, and compact design that prioritises environmental sustainability. We look forward to welcoming these innovative tugs to Trieste.”
The tugs are named Captain Cat and Med Rigel. The former is named for Tripmare founder Captain Luigi Cattaruzza. The tugs are being constructed at Damen Song Cam Shipyard and are scheduled to arrive in Italy in August 2025.
Antonio Marte, Damen Shipyards, said: “We are very proud to welcome Tripmare onboard the Damen journey. These two RSD tugs symbolise a new era of synergy, empowering Tripmare to streamline its fleet operations without compromising on towage configuration preferences between ASD and tractor tugs.”
The RSD Tug 2513 combines elements from both tractor and ASD tugs in one vessel, enabling an ‘always bow first’ operation. The vessel offers high manoeuvrability, the result of in-depth, in-house engineering and extensive model tests. A significant contributor to this aspect of the performance of the RSD Tug 2513 is the Damen patented twin fin skeg, which ensures course keeping and stability during operations.
The RSD Tug 2513, the first vessel in Damen’s compact tugs range, boasts a number of features to raise performance in terms of safety, sustainability, reliability and efficiency. This includes Damen Safety Glass, a shatterproof form of glazing which offers protection to operators in the event of a towing line snapping. From the compact wheelhouse, the view to operations and the clutter-free decks is unobstructed. The superstructure is spring-mounted to the hull, reducing noise and vibration to a minimum.
The RSD Tug 2513 is designed with ease of maintenance in mind, with the aim of lowering operational costs during the lifetime. An aspect of this is the vessel’s hybrid cooling system – a combination of box and keel cooling. In the development of the RSD Tugs 2513, sustainability was a priority for Damen. This included the CFD optimisation of the hull for reduced fuel consumption, and the vessel’s ability to comply with IMO Tier III – the result of the modular Damen marine NOx reduction system. Additionally, the vessel features Triton, Damen’s IoT solution, enabling real-time performance tracking, aiding increased efficiency and reduced emissions.
Image: Damen RSD Tug 2513 (source: Damen Shipyards)
