As informed, the concession is the renewal of an existing
partnership and is extendable for a single period of three years.
The agreement includes eight tugboats in this port region,
all certified with the highest firefighting standards and manned by a local
crew.
As part of this fleet, Boluda Towage Europe will bring in
two Damen-built 85-tonne bollard pull ASD tugs 2813, both complying with the
most recent IMO Tier III emission standards, to the Port of Zeebrugge in
December 2020. These tugs, named VB Bolero and VB Rumba, are “highly
maneuverable” and environmentally friendly vessels.
Aside from the Union Koala, that was already retrofitted to
the IMO Tier III standards in 2019, Boluda Towage Europe will also retrofit the
Union Panda this year. Other tugs in the fleet will also be retrofitted in the first
two years of the contract, according to Boluda.
In order to highlight the long-standing cooperation between
both parties, Boluda Towage Europe provided the ship’s bell of the tugboat
Brugge on permanent loan to the Port Authority Zeebrygge/MBZ. The ship’s bell
was unveiled at the end of the ceremonial signing on 17 September.
The tugboat Brugge was the most powerful fire-fighting
vessel when it was built in 1988 and was active in the Port of Zeebrugge as a
fire-guard boat for LNG tankers until 2009.