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Global tug provider Svitzer will strengthen it's UK fleet and emergency towing capabilities in the south Wales Port of Milford Haven with a newly reaquired tug, while freeing up another to support its London operations (see related story). 

Svitzer, which is part of the Danish giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, has announced the purchase of a Svitzer Pembroke to support (tanker story) terminal operations in Milford Haven, UK.

The addition of the Svitzer Pembroke to the UK fleet will free up the 86-tonne bollard pull ASD tug Svitzer Ramsey for relocation to London to cater for expected growth at the River Thames and River Medway.

The Svitzer Pembroke was originally built for Svitzer at Zamakona Shipyard, Spain, but in 2014 the vessel was sold, and has operated under the name Boa Odin for the past eight years. The 100-tonne bollard-pull ASD tug has both aft towing winch and firefighting capabilities. This makes the Svitzer Pembroke uniquely suited to supporting Svitzer’s Terminal activities at Milford Haven and strengthens the existing fleet’s emergency response capability.

The arrival of the Svitzer Pembroke in Milford Haven allows Svitzer to redeploy the Svitzer Ramsey to London, where escort tugs with bollard pull from 80 tonnes and upward, plus fire fighting capabilities, are becoming increasingly important for serving customers effectively on River Thames and River Medway.

Commenting on the acquisition, Kasper Karlsen, Chief Operating Officer, Svitzer Europe and interim head of Svitzer in the UK said: “With the purchase of Svitzer Pembroke, we simultaneously accomplish two key goals. Increasing our minimum 80 tonnes bollard pull fleet in London from 6 to 7 tugs allows us to better meet current and future customer demands there. At the same time, we are able to strengthen our ability to provide emergency services and towing at Milford Haven. We are very pleased to once again have Svitzer Pembroke in our fleet.”

The newly reacquired tug has already arrived in the UK and will return to service in the coming months.

Svitzer currently operates more than 70 tugs in the UK and has around 650 employees.

The UK has been the launching off point for the company’s EcoTow project, with Svitzer’s entire fleet London, Felixstowe, Southampton and Scotland switching to low carbon biofuels. The service is set to be rolled out across the remaining ports in the UK and across Svitzer’s global operations.

Published in Ports & Shipping

About the 29er Skiff Dinghy

The 29er is a one-design double-handed, single trapeze skiff for youth sailors.

There is an active class in Ireland, just one of the 38-countries from across all continents now racing the high-performance skiff.

The 29er is one of the latest dinghy classes to arrive in Ireland and has a 50/50 split between boys and girls.

The class like to describe the boat as "The most popular skiff for sailors who want to go fast!".

Derived from the Olympic class 49er class and designed by Julian Bethwaite the 29er was first produced in 1998.

Two sailors sail the 29er, one on trapeze.

The class is targeted at youth sailors aiming at sailing the larger 49er which is an Olympic class.


The 6.25-metre high rig features a fractional asymmetrical spinnaker; a self-tacking jib decreases the workload of the crew, making manoeuvres more efficient and freeing the crew to take the mainsheet upwind and on two-sail reaches.

The 15.00 m2 spinnaker rigging set-up challenges crews to be fit and coordinated, and manoeuvres in the boat require athleticism due to its lack of inherent stability and the high speed with which the fully battened mainsail and jib power up.

The 74kg weight hull is constructed of fibreglass-reinforced polyester in a foam sandwich layout.

The fully battened mainsail and jib are made from a transparent Mylar laminate with orange or red Dacron trimming, while the spinnaker is manufactured from ripstop Nylon.

The mast is in three parts - an aluminium bottom and middle section, with a polyester-fibreglass composite tip to increase mast bend and decrease both overall weights, and the capsizing moment a heavy mast tip can generate. Foils are aluminium or fibreglass.

About the ILCA/Laser Dinghy

The ILCA, formerly known as the Laser, is the most produced boat in the world, with 220,000 units built since 1971.

It's easy to see why the single-handed dinghy has won the title of the most widely distributed boat of all time.

The Laser is a one-design dinghy, the hulls being identical but three rigs that can be used according to the size and weight of the sailor.

The class is international, with sailors from 120 countries. The boat has also been an Olympic class since 1996, being both the men's and women's singlehanded dinghy.

Three rigs are recognised by the International Laser Class Association (ILCA):

  • ILCA 4: sail of 4.70m2
  • ILCA 6: sail of 5.76 m2
  • ILCA 7: sail of 7.06 m2

29er skiff technical specs

  • Hull weight 74kg (163lb)
  • LOA 4.45m (14.4ft)
  • Beam 1.77m (5ft 7in)
  • Crew 2 (single trapeze) 
  • Spinnaker area 15.00 m2 (181.2sq.ft)
  • Upwind sail area 12.5 m2 (142.0 sq.ft)
  • Mast length 6.25m (20.5ft)

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