Special towage of a ship section from Rostock to Papenburg

Special towage operation of Casco ‘Neptunwerft – hull 0712’ from Rostock to Papenburg

In September 2016, KST was awarded the towage of a ship-section from the Shipyard Neptun Werft, Rostock to Papenburg on River Ems, North Sea. The ship hull, which will become part of a new-build cruise ship, is 101 m long, 39,8 m wide, had a depth of 8.8m and a draft of abt. 2.6 m.

To perform a safe towage operation, an experienced team of operators, consisting of pilots, tug masters and local authorities, planned the roadmap meticulous. Nautitec, a high-tech Simulation Center, located at Leer in Germany, simulated the transport in order to make the risks and obstacles measureable and transparent.

September 25^th 2016, the Rotortugs RT Innovation and RT Pioneer started the towage operation of Casco ‘Neptunwerft – hull’ at the Neptunwerft in Rostock, sailed to Kiel and went through the narrow spaces of the Kiel locks, then passed the ‘Kiel Kanal’ and faced the narrow spaces of the Brunsbüttel locks. The transport continued her journey on the River Elbe to Cuxhaven, passed German Bight and sailed on the River Ems towards Emden. At Emden a tug change took place, where 3 smaller tugs took over and towed the transport to Meyer Werft in Papenburg. “Hull 0712” was delivered in good conditions to Meyer Werft Papenburg, on 2^nd October 2016.

Through the excellent knowledge of the tow master and a job well done by highly maneuverable tugs and its dedicated crew, this towage operation could be safely performed. This special towage project is a perfect example of a great cooperation between experienced teams within the maritime industry.