Extreme weather tug to escort LNG ships

Hard weather vessel DUX will serve Norwegian state-owned energy company Statoil and is set to escort approximately 300 LNG ships annually.

It will also assist with berthing operations and emergency services such as long line towing, firefighting, and oil spill response.

Designed by Canadian company Robert Allan and built by Spanish-owned Gondan, the 40.2m and 16m beam vessel, owned by Østensjø Rederi A/S, is shaped specifically to grant full operational availability at temperatures of -20 degrees.

Gondan explained that DUX combines environmental sustainability, through the use of LNG in most of its operations, with the flexibility of diesel power to ensure a high level of operational security.

Dux has a free running speed of 15 knots and is capable of direct and indirect towing performance. It provides a 107-tonne bollard pull and 167-tonne steering force,

The vessel, registered to Hammerfest port in Norway, is the first tugboat of a series of three built to withstand severe weather conditions.