Two new tugboats have been inaugurated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to aid movement of ships in the nation’s ports.
The new tugboats – MT Musawa, and MT Ikoro-Ekiti, which are Damen’s 2810 Model, will further relieve the large capacity vessels constantly at Nigerian ports to berth and sail away.
According to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, while inaugurating the tugboats in Lagos, yesterday, the new boats would add greater value to the maritime sector and enhance economic development.
Amaechi said the tugboats will accentuate the determination of the Federal Government and the NPA to increase operational efficiency. He also assured that work is ongoing to link all the seaports to the standard gauge rail line, adding that the government is determined to link up the 36 state capitals, including the Federal Capital, Abuja, to the standard gauge rail services.
The Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, stressed that the operation of the boats would ultimately impact the turnaround time of vessels positively.
“The tugboats are with Length Over All (LOA) of 28.67m, Breath Over All (BOA) of 10.43m and 4. 90m draft. They are built under Lloyds Classification Society standards and powered by twin MTU engines to attain a speed of 13.5 knots.
“The power delivered by the twin MTU engines will enable the tugboats to produce 60-tonne bollard pull ahead, and 58.7-tonne astern for towing operations. They are also equipped to serve as fire-fighting machines.”
In his remarks, Chairman, Board of Directors, NPA, Akinwunmi Ricketts, said the development is in line with NPA’s quest to provide world class services, and compete with other ports in the world, in terms of efficient services, competitive cost, safety and security.