Hamburg introduces strongest ever tug

The Zoe is a rotor tug equipped with three propellers under the hull, two amidships and one at the stern. Each may be turned independently by 360 degrees, giving the tug exceptional manoeuvrability. It has three main engines with a total of 5,300 hp – compared with 3,000 hp for an average container tug and 300 hp for a barge tugboat.

It is 28.3 m long, 11.7 m wide and has a draught of 5.9 m; its equipment includes two cable winches and extensive firefighting gear. It was built in Singapore, as were two sister ships currently stationed in Bremerhaven and Le Havre.

Hamburg had its first call on September 13 by the new vessel OOCL Europe, owned by OOCL of Hong Kong. The vessel, which began its maiden voyage in China, serves the AE4 liner route of the Grand Alliance, of which OOCL is a member. Its regular rotation will be Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Singapore, Port Klang, Jeddah, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Pusan and Dalian, with a round trip taking 56 days. It has slots for a total of 8,063 teu, 710 of them for reefers.