joined venture established for harbour towage activities in Europe

KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE established to start harbour activities in Europe

On April 7th, 2016, KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE was established through the merger of European harbour activities of Kotug and Smit. The operational integration will start as of today. In order to retain both strong brand names and to benefit from the already well-established brand recognition in Europe, the merged operations will operate under the entity ‘KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE’.

With a fleet of 64 tugboats, KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE will be a leading provider of harbour towage services in northwestern Europe, operating in 11 ports in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The geographical footprint of both KOTUG and SMIT is complementary. Activities of both partners in other parts of the world are excluded from this cooperation.

KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE stands for high quality towage with a strong focus on tailor made services. The joint venture will achieve synergies, mainly from economies of scale benefits as well as opportunities for smarter operations– e.g. improved tug utilisation. As the operations are further integrated, sharing of joint experience, expertise and best practices will generate additional value.

The combined operation allows KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE to meet the increasing demands of the maritime industry in order to supply its clients with an even higher level of efficiency and port call optimization in Europe.”

By drawing on a combined track record over 350 years of experience and knowledge in the maritime industry and with a passionate workforce, KOTUG SMIT TOWAGE will further strengthen its high quality towage services. In this consolidating market the company is able to offer competitive services against the highest operational and safety standards within the industry.