LABUAN SHIPYARD BUILDS MALAYSIA’S FIRST ALL-ROUND 360-DEGREE TUGBOAT

LABUAN, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Labuan Shipyard and Engineering Sdn Bhd (LSE) has added another feather to its cap after successfully constructing the AR Diamond, a tugboat built with a circular towing ring capable of turning 360 degrees.

LSE chief operating officer Khamdi Khalid said AR Diamond is Malaysia’s first all-round 360-degree tugboat.

He said the AR Diamond’s construction began on Nov 25, 2021, and was completed on Jan 16 this year.

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“The tugboat is 25.08 metres long and has a pull capability of up to 50 tonnes.

“Unlike most conventional tugboats that are built with a fixed towing winch system which only allows turns between one and 180 degrees, this tugboat is equipped with a remotely operated winch mounted on top of the towing ring that allows tugs to be done in any direction within a 360 degrees radius during manoeuvring operations of vessels to harbours. 

“This key feature enables adequate stability achieved through rapid and accurate manoeuvring, as well as better control when turning the hull even at relatively high towing speeds,” he told Bernama today.

Khamdi said the official delivery of this vessel took place on May 3 in Kuala Lumpur through a hybrid ceremony to sign and hand over completion certificates between the project owner, Harbour 360 Sdn Bhd and LSE, as the builder. 

The certificates were signed by Lee Kong Siong, representative of Harbour 360, while Khamdi Khalip represented LSE.

Witnessing the ceremony were Captain Ng Ber Toon and Ooi Kean Meng from Nautica Ship Management Sdn Bhd, naval architect Naval Arch Marine Sdn Bhd’s managing director Ir Peter Tay, and project consultant NVS Maritime Consultancy Sdn Bhd’s Director Robert Versteeg. 

LSE’s group chief financial officer Shamsir Aiza Zainal and its general manager for projects, Mohd Zamri Sampol, were also present while the project team witnessed through video conferencing.

Khamdi said the project to construct the tugboat was awarded in June 2021 and was expected to be delivered last year in 2022, but disruptions in the global supply chain due to the Covid-19 pandemic had caused a minor setback in its construction. 

Meanwhile, in a statement, LSE and Harbour 360 expressed their interest in continuing the existing collaboration as they are poised to become pioneers of such tugs in Malaysia’s shipbuilding and ship repair industry.

Among recent vessels successfully built and delivered by LSE included two 82-metre offshore work/accommodation vessels (OWAV) and a 77-metre DP2 diesel propulsion electric platform supply vessel (PSV), in addition to three tugboats for Bintulu Port.

-- BERNAMA