Used for bed-bed leveling to enrich the work of dredges, plow tug Monhasa replaces a 50-year outdated tug used for this work.[Photo: Damen]
South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) final month took supply of a brand new plow dredging tug from Damen Shipyards Cape Town. TNPA makes use of plow dredging for mattress leveling to easy out excessive spots created by marine site visitors in high-volume berth areas and the brand new plow tug will complement the work of TNPA’s dredges. Called Mohoma (that means “to plow” within the Lesotho language), it replaces the 50-year outdated plow tug Impisi,
The Mohoma, is a flexible, seagoing workboat designed for each harbor and coastal companies.
Based on a standardized Damen design the vessel is well-suited to a variety of maritime duties, working effectively in shallow and deeper waters with unrestricted crusing functionality. Damen Cape Town’s intensive expertise in setting up low upkeep vessels ensured that each one put in high-quality parts are optimally laid out for simple upkeep.
“We are honored to deliver this state-of-the-art plow tug to TNPA,” mentioned Sefale Montsi, director of Damen Shipyards Cape Town. “This vessel has 45 tonnes of bollard pull, is 32 meters long and 9 meters wide, and can plow up to 25 meters deep. With a spacious working deck, this versatile workboat will serve as an asset for TNPA’s ports and dredging operations. It showcases the Damen Group’s design knowledge, the skill of our South African shipbuilding team and our first-class local equipment manufacturers and co-makers.”
The vessel was formally handed over throughout a ceremony held in Durban on May 17. Its acquisition is a part of TNPA’s ongoing fleet improve program, geared toward increasing port capability to accommodate bigger vessels and meet rising demand.
“The demand for dredging services has increased in the region, and the addition of this plow tug will increase the berth capacity of the ports,” mentioned Dr Popo Molefe, chairperson of the Transnet Board of Directors. “Managing the demand is part of TNPA’s growth plan, which will see the continuous improvement of port infrastructure.”
“This project has played an important role in creating skilled new jobs through the Cape Town training center,” mentioned Christopher Huvers, Damen Cape Town’s regional gross sales director for Africa. “Furthermore, the project has acted as a catalyst for the development and localisation of our supply chains. We are proud to claim that we delivered a vessel in Africa for Africa, with an overachievement of local content used”.
“The Damen standard design allows for long-term low operational costs and high-level multipurpose performance, which includes dredging, towing, pushing and harbor maintenance, buoy-and-anchor handling,” Huvers added.
