Damen ASD TUG 3213

The ASD Tug 3213 submitted by Damen Shipyards Gorinchem is an example of Dutch innovation and applied engineering. It is a pragmatic combination of technical entrepreneurship and commercial insight, the result of many years of experience and craftsmanship. The Damen Tugs & Workboats design team comprises fifteen technical specialists, an industrial designer and an interior designer.
Damen Shipyards Group, shipbuilders since 1927 and now a worldwide concern, develops its products using proven techniques and standardised components and delivers approximately 200 ships each year according to the 'Damen Standard'. Damen develops designs that are functional, ergonomic, user-friendly, durable and easy to maintain. The inventiveness of these designs resides in the unique way in which the components are assembled. Nothing is redundant and all the forms are governed by function. The boat is designed in line with Damen’s design philosophy that every component is a requirement.
The ASD Tug 3213 towboat is a 5420 kW-strong monster with a pulling power of almost 95,000 kg. The tug was developed to escort tankers and container ships offshore and to function in the most extreme weather conditions on the open seas. The ASD Tug 3213 is designed to guide ships while mooring and to assist with anchoring, salvage and extinguishing fires. The tug can turn full circle in 10 seconds and can accelerate in a few seconds from 0 to 14.7 knots. The ASD Tug 3213 is broad, short and low and its upper section is narrow allowing the tug to pass ‘under’ a ship and retain good vision from the deck. It’s efficient work deck and automated engine room enable the tug to be used quickly and safely with minimal manpower.

The Damen Tugs & Workboats design team worked for three years on the design and produced approximately 9,000 3D computer sketches and 682 technical drawings. All the components were specified, bought in and shipped to the shipyard in Vietnam, where the entire ship was assembled. Now, three years later, the ASD Tug 3213 'Smit Panther' is in use in Rotterdam’s harbour.