The first of two new Damen Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) 2111 50-foot Large Harbour Tug boats was quietly delivered to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in February this year, according to a Defence spokesperson, the Australian Defence Magazine reports.
Defence ordered the two tugs from Damen in May 2024 through the Defence Maritime Assurance Program (DMAP) panel, at a cost of $28 million. It isn’t clear which Damen facility constructed the boats, however, they were built overseas and shipped to Australia.
The second Large Harbour Tug is expected to arrive in Australia by May 2025. They will initially be based in Perth and Darwin respectively, where they will be operated by employees of Svitzer Australia. In a statement to ADM, Defence also left the door open to Navy personnel crewing the vessels if required by circumstance.
“The two tugs will be able to be operated nationwide, with the first to be based in Darwin and the second in Perth. Both tugs are planned to be operated by a civilian vessel operator, Svitzer, but may be operated by Navy personnel if required,” the spokesperson explained.
Damen Services Brisbane will initially sustain the vessels, which Navy expects to operate for up to 25 years across a range of ports and facilities. According to the company’s public Australian Industry Content (AIC) plan, there will be opportunities for local companies to help sustain and operate the tugs. Damen Services Brisbane will also lean on Australian companies to train Navy personnel on the vessels’ operation at various locations throughout the country. The sustainment contract has an Australian Contract Expenditure target of 47 per cent across the life of the two vessels.
“The aim will be to select the best aspects of Australian supply chain management practice, combine with Damen’s established supply support procedures, and thereby provide a best-of class method for the development and maintenance of a healthy supplier community,” Damen’s Project Manager for the Large Harbour Tug program, Jurriaan van de Beek, wrote in the company’s public AIC plan.
