Tugs at work

Towage is an essential part of the maritime environment. It is one of the most important maritime activities as ports could not operate without tugs and the vast majority of Europe's imports and exports would simply stop. Towage is the vital and primary guardian that provides the safety and environmental protection for European ports, approaches and coastlines. Below you find a small glossary about our industry: What is a tug? Tugs are small vessels designed with high propulsion power for pulling and pushing heavy floating objects at relatively low speed. Tugs, although usually small craft, equipped with high engine power and are highly manoeuvrable. Why do ocean-going ships use tugs? Tugs are primarily used to ensure safe operations of ships in ports. However, many additional applications have been developed for coastal towages, for offshore support work, assisting vessels in distress as well as for worldwide towage services. The Towage Industry can be divided into the following main sectors: Port Towage Large ships normally require tug assistance for manoeuvring to and from berth. The need for tug assistance increases with the ship?s size, complexity of the waterways and docking facility as well as weather conditions. Tug assistance of a vessel consists of a number of tugs pushing and/or pulling for holding, slow movement and/or positioning of the floating object.