Great Lakes signs deal to build first Damen tugs in US

Great Lakes signs deal to build first Damen tugs in US

Damen Shipyards Group, The Netherlands, has signed a license agreement with Ohio-based Great Lakes Shipyard for the latter to build two ICE-class Stan Tugs 1907 at its facility in Cleveland.

The agreement was reached this week at the 2015 International WorkBoat Show in New Orleans and marks the first time that Damen tugs have been built under license in the U.S. Under the license, Great Lakes Shipyard will receive full construction, design and engineering support from Damen.

The vessels are to be operated by Great Lakes Towing Company, an affiliate of Great Lakes Shipyard, and the Stan 1907 design was chosen after Great Lakes Towing executives visited Damen in the Netherlands, determining that the vessel was well-matched to the company’s needs.

While these are the first tugs to be built in the U.S. under Damen’s Technical Cooperation program, the company said that more than 200 Damen vessels have been built under license in this country since the mid-1990s including patrol boats built for the U.S. Coast Guard by Bollinger Shipyards; 55 Fast Crew Supplier 1204 class, built at Horizon Boat Builders and Trinity Shipyard; and 25 Fast Crew Supplier 1605 class vessels built by Blount Boats. Licenses for 58 Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters based on Damen’s 47m Stan Patrol 4708 have also been sold, Damen said.