Holland Shipyards Group has delivered its Hybrid Harbor & Terminal Tug “Atlas” to FFS Marine AS, a Norwegian towage and marine contractor. The delivery took place in January, 2020.
The former “Atlas” Type EDDY TUG 30-65 is now named “FFS Athos” and serves for operations on the southern coast of Norway. The concept has been developed in house with Holland Shipyards Group.
This innovative tug is designed and built round three key-criteria: performance, economy and safety. The slender hull form is easily driven, easy on gear, highly seaworthy and course stable in any direction. The compact centerline drive-trains with azimuthal thrusters forward and aft, results in very simple operations with 360 degrees working range. With its thruster positioning the tug has the capability to maintain continuous line tension under any circumstances.
When it comes to economy, the hybrid drive train ensures optimized fuel economy in all operational modes.
The high dynamic stability, the watertight compartments and spacious dry decks without obstructions guarantee a safe working platform. The double-drum render-recover Safe-Winch further mitigates the risk of having slack towlines and towline overload.
To meet the wishes of FFS Marine AS, the tug has had a several modifications before delivery, such as the fitting of a marine crane and an extension of the winch.
As one of her first jobs the “FFS Athos” took a tanker on tow, which suffered engine failure west of Farsund, Norway. On February 11, 2020 the LPG tanker Crystal Lavender started to drift towards Norway coast. FFS Athos was deployed for towing the 4300 GT vessel; an amazing opportunity for the vessel to prove itself, and that it did!
FFS Marine AS recognizes the unique capabilities of the EDDY Tug design, and has decided to train its masters to become fully proficient in handling the design. For this purpose a simulator has been acquired, which will come with a digital design of the Farsund area.
The potential to do free sailing in diesel-electric mode and also being able to deliver impressive escort performances, makes “FFS Athos” a great addition to the FFS Marine fleet.
Copryright photo: Ørjan Bruseland
