On 20 October 2019 a handover ceremony was held at Albwardy Damen, in Sharjah, UAE, marking Damen’s delivery of 13 tugs to Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping.
The tugs will be operated at various offshore terminals in Iraq, in a joint cooperation between Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping and General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI).
The contract for the order was signed end of March 2019. Damen has delivered all the vessels within a seven month period.
Damen was able to deliver the thirteen vessels quickly, modified to the requirements of its client, thanks to its philosophy of standardised shipbuilding, which ensures the fast delivery of proven vessels.
The 13 vessel order consisted of four ASD Tugs 2813, two ASD Tugs 3212, three RSD Tugs 2513 – all state-of-the-art vessels from Damen’s Next Generation Tugs series – three Stan Tugs 2208 and a Shoalbuster 2609.
The ASD tugs are fully equipped, including FiFi 1 and an escort towing notation. Furthermore, the contract includes spare part packages, training, a computerised planned maintenance system and a remote monitoring system on board of all tugs.
During the ceremony seven of the 13 tugs where lined up at the Albwardy Damen facility in Sharjah, UAE, three tugs are already in operation and the remaining three boats are currently on voyage from the yard to the client.
Albwardy Damen has played a crucial role in outfitting the tugs as per the client’s requirements and providing training to all crew prior to delivery.
The vessel order will serve to fulfil a 20-year contract between Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping and GCPI. The contract gives Jawar Al Khaleej Shipping responsibility for marine service at the oil terminals.
With this agreement, the two parties will secure Iraq’s ability to handle the constant flow of tankers entering and leaving the country.
Jawar Al Khaleej has been successfully providing marine services in Iraq for the last ten years, and has a modern fleet of a Damen Stan Tugs, three Damen ASD Tugs 3213 and a Fast Crew Supplier 5009.
The existing Damen fleet has proven to be extremely reliable, which is essential considering the remote offshore location and harsh environmental conditions in which the vessels must operate. A reliable fleet is vital for providing safe and uninterrupted operations at the offshore oil terminals.
