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ITS 2010, 17 - 21 may, Vancouver
ROTOR®TUG(KST BV) is pleased to announce that they will take part in the above mentioned convention and exhibition in Vancouver.
Please feel free to visit us in booth 49.
With the arrival of the RT ROB, who made the trip from Japan to Bremerhaven on its own keel via the Panama Canal and the delivery of the RT PETER by the Niigata Shipbuilding and Repairyard in Niigata, Japan, the first two new Rotor®tugs of the type RT80-32 have set a new standard.
The design of the RT ROB series is the innovative result of the close collaboration between designer KST BV in Rotterdam and operator Kotug International. The RT ROB is the first delivery to Kotug of a fleet extension and replacement program that will continue until midst 2012. Having a bollard pull of over 85 tons over the stern as well as over the bow, a length of 32 meters and moulded beam of 12 meter, the tug represents a new generation of Rotor®tugs designed for harbour and coastal towage.
The RT ROB is powered by three Caterpillar 3512C engines of 1765kW each, via Twindisc 3000LD modulation clutches connected to three fixed pitch Schottel SRP1215 Azimuth rudder propellers. On the aft deck a heavy duty side by side hydraulic Plimsoll towing winch is installed with a brake force of 200 tons. On the fore deck a single drum winch of the same maker is installed, enabling the RT ROB to assist ships over the stern as well as over the bow.
With Lloyds Register as classification society the class notation LRS + 100 A1, Tug + LMC, UMS was obtained with a range of trade of 100 miles, GMDSS area A2. The new Rotor®tugs are one of the first tugs who received the “Green Passport” statement of compliance under the IMO guidelines on ship recycling, issued by Lloyd’s Register.
In close consultation with tug captains an ergonomic wheelhouse was designed, allowing 360 degrees visibility from the operators position with all communication and navigation equipment within direct reach. Special care was given to the design of the accommodation, a comfortable furnished, light and wide interior with a luxury outlook was designed. Although the RT ROB will be manned by only three persons, the design allows a maximum complement of eight.
Three propulsion units and two towing winches generate full redundancy.
Even if one engine or propulsion unit fails, the towing can be continued with reduced (60%) power.
01.07.09 New tugs
Rotor tug( KST BV) has delivered the following tugs of the RT80-32 type to their respective Owners:
- RT ROB delivered during May 2009 in Japn to Owners Elisabeth Ltd of Malta
- RT PETER delivered July 1st 2009 in Japan to Owners Elisabeth Ltd of Malta
In the final outfitting stage and expected delivery of two RT80-28 type during August and October 2009. Tugs named as “Dorum” and “Accurate” will be Owned and operated by Unterweser Reederei of Bremen –Germany.
Furthermore we still have 15 (fifteen) tugs of various types under construction with deliveries up to 2012. Rotor tug(KST BV) has various options for slots available for interesting parties to operate Rotor tugs in the future.
15.10.08 New tugs
During the past six months KST BV has delivered the following tugs of the RT80-28 model to their respective Owners:
- Bugsier 4 (hull nr.817), Bugsier 5 (hull number 818) and Bugsier 6 (hull number 819) to the Bugsier Reederei of Hamburg-Germany.
- RT Margo (hull number 820) to the company Elisabeth Ltd of Malta.
In the beginning of 2008 KST BV and Groupe LÓcean of Quebec-Canada signed an agreement to develop and KST BV to assist in building a so called RT110-37 Escort tug with a minimum of 150 tons steering force by 10 knots speed.
Furthermore we are in the final stages of building two RT80-32 models in Japan for delivery early next year and in addition to the aforementioned also in the outfitting stage are two RT80-28 for the Unterweser Reederei of Bremen Germany.
Europort Maritime, 6 - 9 november, Ahoy, Rotterdam
Our colleagues of KST will be pleased to welcome you again at our stand no. 1306 at the HME pavilion on the Europort Maritime exhibition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from 6 up until 9 November 2007.
ITS 2008, 19 - 23 may, Singapore
ITS returns to Singapore next May for the first time since 1984. The event, from 19th to 23rd of May 2008, will be bigger then ever before with about 400 delegates and an exhibition set to break all records. KST BV will be one of them, and welcomes you to their stand in the Suntec Convention Centre.
Press Release 24.10.07 - Kooren Shipbuilding and Trading B.V. becomes KST B.V.
To coincide with a growing client database, an expending demand for “State of the Art” Tugs, combined with the companies present success in selling the concept of the Rotor®tug, Kooren Shipbuilding and Trading B.V. announces that it has adjusted the companies structure and changed the Companies name to KST B.V. at latest July 1st, 2007.
In a relatively short time the company evolved to a mature organisation and conquered its position in the towing industry as a professional designer, builder and seller of tugs.
To enable further business development and creating independent economical responsibility, a logical next step has been taken by creating KST B.V. The new company has three compelling activities that are related to the shipbuilding industry: design, construction and sales of the Rotor®tugs, project management of shipbuilding and services related to shipping such as advice in financing, lease constructions and trade-in.
Consistent with the goal to provide optimal service to clients, KST B.V. reinforced its human resources by contracting key role employees in the areas of building supervisors and engineering. In addition, KST B.V. expands her extern network, creating a broad view on clients wishes, market requirements and prospects.
Along with the companies expansion, a growing number of designs of Rotor®tugs for different purposes required an unambiguous and understandable type indication. Therefore a new type indication has been launched by KST B.V., using the logical sequence of propulsion configuration, bollard pull and length, and, when necessary, followed by the application. Examples are RT80-28 and RT110-37AH.
The success of the triple propulsion configuration and the companies market approach has resulted in a present order portfolio of no less then twenty Rotor®tugs with a bollard pull in excess of 80 tons. Four RT80-28’s are under construction and will be delivered to their owners between December 2007 and March 2008. This will be followed by the construction for different owners of another four RT80-28’s. Simultaneously twelve RT80-32’s will be constructed at two different shipyards.
The design team of KST B.V. presently is working to finalise the design of an anchor handling - multi purpose tug with a bollard pull of 110 tons. Furthermore, serious interest has been showed by major towing companies for the design of the ART110-37E, a new escort tug with unequalled performances
KST B.V. will be present at the Europort Maritime exhibition, that will be held in Ahoy Rotterdam in the second week of November. We look forward to meeting you at our booth, which is at the pavilion of HME, nr 1306.
KST B.V.
Press Release 23-08-07 - New Rotor®tug orders for KST B.V.
In a repeat order, KST B.V., formerly trading under the name Kooren Shipbuilding and Trading, recently closed contracts with Unterweser Reederei GmbH of Bremen, Germany for the construction of two Rotor®tugs RT80-28. The vessels, in the past indicated as RT80-r, are expected to have a bollard pull in excess of 83 Tons. Length of the tugs is 28 meter, and they will be powered by means of three ABC 8DZC engines of 1760kW each, driving three Schottel SRP 1215CP azimuthing thrusters. The tugs will also be equipped with FiFi 1, classified by Germanischer Lloyds, and will fly the German flag. Both tugs will be constructed at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore for delivery to the owner in 2010.
At the same shipyard, KST B.V. presently is finishing the construction of three similar vessels for Bugsier Reederei GmbH of Hamburg, Germany, and one similar vessel for an investment company in Southern Europe. Both orders were previously acquired. After delivery of these vessels in the last quarter of this year and the first of next year, ASL will commence with the construction of the first two Rotor®tugs RT80-28 for Unterweser Reederei.
In addition, KST B.V. is close to sign shipbuilding contracts for the construction of four more Rotor®tugs of the type RT80-32, a tug with a bollard pull of minimum 80 tons and a length of 32 meters.
The extend of the present order portfolio indicates that the concept of a triangular propulsion configuration has been acknowledged worldwide in the towing industry. Apart from shipbuilding for a diversity of clients, KST B.V. is active in management of shipbuilding projects, and presently designing a multi purpose tug, capable to carry out a wide range of activities. The vessel will be designed for working offshore, including FPSO support, anchor handling, rig moves and cargo runs, and moreover be capable of carrying out harbour towage.
Press release 16-02-07 - KST B.V. ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF TWO RT-80r ROTOR®TUGS
KST B.V. has the pleasure to announce the sale of two of their RT-80r class to Unterweser Reederei GmbH of Bremen, Germany. These Rotor®tugs are to be built at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore. The tugs will have a bollard pull capacity of 80 metric tons each . The high bollard pull, exceptional manoeuvring capabilities and comparable low draft, has been a decisive factor of placing this order with KST. Delivery of the tugs will be between December 2008 and February 2009. Unterweser Reederei GmbH also has the option for 1 + 1 RT-80r class additional tug(s) during the building period.
Both tugs will be powered by three ABC –8 DZC engines of min.1700 kW each at 1000 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will come from Schottel Propulsion Systems, they are of the SRP 1215 CP type in 19A nozzles. The tugs will be classed by Germanischer Lloyd and will fly the German Flag, All tugs will be equipped with fire fighting, foam and spray capabilities in line with the required FF1 notation. The main dimensions of the tug are as follows :
| Length over all | 28.30 meters |
| Beam over all | 12.00 meters |
| Draught | 5.95 meters |
KST B.V. and ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd are building these tugs to the highest standard with various features not normally incorporated in a tug.
For more information please contact:
KST B.V. Karel Kaffa (Exec.Vice President)
Boompjeskade 123
3011 XE ROTTERDAM
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 – 10 – 217 0 217
Direct: + 31 – 10 – 217 0 257
Fax: +31 – 10 – 2164477
SEPTEMBER 2006 - KST B.V. ANNOUNCES THE SALE OF THREE RT-80r ROTOR®TUGS
KST B.V. has the pleasure to announce the sale of three of their newly to be build RT-80r class to Bugsier, Reederei-, und Bergungsgesellschaft -mbH & Co. These Rotor®tugs are to be built at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore. The tugs will have a bollard pull capacity of 80 metric tons each . The high bollard pull and comparable low draft, has been a decisive factor of placing this order with KST. Delivery of the tugs will be between November 2007 and mid 2008.
All three tugs will be powered by three Wartsila 8L20C engines of min.1600 kW each at 1000 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will come from Wartsila/Lips Propulsion Systems, they are of the CS225-S/WN-K 2300 CP type in HR nozzles.The tugs will be classed by Gemanischer Lloyd and will fly the German Flag, All tugs will be equipped with firefighting and spray capabilities in line with the required FiFi 1 notation.
The main dimensions of the tug are as follows:
| Length over all | 28.30 meters |
| Beam over all | 12.00 meters |
| Draught | 5.95 meters |
KST B.V. and ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd are building these tugs to the highest standard with various features not normally incorporated in a tug.
For more information please contact:
KST B.V.
Karel Kaffa (Exec.Vice President)
Boompjeskade 123
3011 XE ROTTERDAM
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 – 10 – 217 0 217
Direct: + 31 – 10 – 217 0 257
Fax: +31 – 10 – 217 0 216
E-mail: k.kaffa@rotortug.com
Website: www.rotortug.com
NOVEMBER 2005 - KST B.V. ANNOUNCES THE START OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOUR RT-80r CLASS ROTOR®TUGS
KST B.V. has ordered four RT-80r class Rotor®tugs to be built at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore. The tugs will have a bollard pull capacity in excess of 80+ metric tons each. Delivery of the tugs will be during September-December 2007.
Each tug will be powered by three Wartsila 8L20C main engines of at least 1600 kW each at 1000 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will also come from Wartsila/Lips, they are of the Wartsila/Lips 225-S/WN-K 2300mm type with CP fitted in HR nozzles. The tugs will be classed by Lloyds Register and will be equipped with firefighting capabilities (FIFI1) and waterspray system. The main dimensions of the tug are as follows:
| Loa Lbp Bmoulded Dmoulded Tmax Bollard Pull Crew |
: : : : : : : |
28.30 m 26.10 m 12.00 m 5.24 m 5.70 m 80+ tons 6 |
Two tugs are already sold to a third party who doesn’t want that her name is presently mentioned. The other two tugs are built on behalf of KST B.V. on a speculative basis and are available for direct sale or long-term bareboat contract. KST B.V. invites interesting parties to contact them.
JULY / AUGUST 2005 – NEWBUILDINGS FOR KST B.V.
The RT-Claire and RT-Stéphanie have been named by sponsor ladies Miss Claire van Doorn and Miss Stéphanie van Doorn on the 28th of July at the ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore. Both are grand daughters of Mr (Ton) and Mrs Kooren. The tugs are presently in the process of being delivered to the owners KST. One tug will depart shortly to NW Europe, one will remain for a short while in Singapore Area where she will do some towage work. All four tugs, including hull numbers 501 and 502, have a longterm lease-purchase contract with Société Nouvelle de Remorquage du Havre. Meanwhile KST has floated a tender for 4+4 RT-80r Rotor Tugs. These tugs will be similar to the RT-60 design, however with some small changes and a Bollard Pull of approx. 80+ tons. Details will follow as soon as the tender is awarded.
From a Voith Schneider tug to a Tractor Plus = Rotor®tug
"When the idea first started leaking out, most of us wanted the company to up the horsepower and put bigger new Voith Schneider drives in," explains Capt. Doug Hajek onboard the Foss Maritime’ tractor tug Wedell Foss.
The idea that Hajek refers to was the need to increase the bollard pull of the company’s fleet of 1982 built 3000 HP cycloidal drive tractor tugs. Over their 23 year life the boats in this class have proven themselves to be fine boats. "Most of us were skeptical," explains Hajek, "These have been extremely friendly boats to operate and we were afraid this would get compromised."
But a lot has changed in ship docking since 1982. This is especially true with the container ships that come into port such as Tacoma where the Wedell Foss earns her keep. A big modern container ship presents a huge wall of windage that can make them a challenge to handle when threading into slim waterways. "The Foss Design Committee did their work and even our most mild concerns have not come about," concludes Hajek in the kind of praise of the shore staff that is all to often lacking in the pilot houses of tugs.
The committee to which he refers is headed by Foss Engineering Director Don Hogue and includes staff naval architects Warren Snider and Gisli Olaffsson along with deck machinery specialist Joel Altus. With a number of successful projects under their belt the group was tasked to find the best way to bring the bollard pull of the 23-year old boats from the existing 35-tons to at least 50 tons. "The team grows and shrinks as needed," explains Hogue, "from time to time we include people from our own engineering, shipyard, operations and marine personnel departments. We also had engineering support from The Glosten Associates, KST B.V. (the patent holders of the Rotor propulsion system) and then we bring in our other valued vendor partners like Cummins and Schottel.
The team studied all the options for the boats including the full repower and addition of larger cycloidal drives. The addition of an azimuthing propeller drive was favored as the most operational and cost effective, "But co-mingling of the wake fields was a real concern," explains Hogue. In the design stages they were able to determine that water flows to the cycloidal and prop drives would not be a problem if the z-drive was placed far enough aft. But this then presented a problem of what to do with the big skeg that was central to the operation of the cycloidal drives when working a ship off the stern. But even this was solved when it was found that dramatically reducing the depth of the skeg to fit the z-drive simply meant that they went from a static to an active skeg. "The ASD (azimuthing stern drive) unit becomes an active powered skeg," explains Hogue, "We get some lifting body effect from the nozzle by feathering the controllable pitch prop and turning the nozzle appropriately." The same principle is used on the famous Rotortug(s) of KOTUG International in the ports Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Hamburg.
During the design and development of the project, KST B.V. invited Foss Maritime to have two senior Captains do some familiarizing and training on the RT Magic of Kotug International B.V. in the port of Rotterdam. Both Captains were exited about the way they were able to handle the triple propeller tug in all kind of situations.
Capt. Hajek concurs, "Cavitation is not a problem. This addition of the Cummins engine and azimuthing drive has not only enhanced the bollard pull, it has enhanced the over all performance when handling barges and assisting ships."
The final modification design, which has now been completed on the Henry Foss as well includes the addition of a Cummins KTA50 M-2 engine facing aft and set between the front end of the boats’ two big 900 RPM 1500 horsepower EMD engines that face forward toward the cycloidal drives. The Cummins turns up to 1800 RPM, to push 1700 HP down a 15-foot Centa carbon-fiber shaft to a Schottel SRP 1212 CP z-drive unit. To accommodate the engine and drive addition space in a storage room aft and fuel tankage was reduced. And one of the two generator sets was relocated. Fortunately the engine spaces were roomy and well able to accommodate the relatively small envelop of the Cummins KTA50. Cost of the modification is about US $2 million for each vessel which is between 1/4th and 1/3rd the price of a new vessel. The well maintained boats were built with a 40-year operational life and this modification promises to push that out to and even beyond the planned vessel life.
While Hajeck and other Captains had grown fond of the tugs over the years, they are delighted with the modifications. The addition of the z-drive has increased the bollard pull from 75,000 pounds or about 21.5 pounds per horsepower to 114,900 pounds for about 22.5 pounds per total HP. The Cummins / Schottel drivelines thrust at about 28 lbs per HP by themselves.
The controllable pitch prop in a nozzle adds strong and immediate thrust while not sacrificing any of the strong directional abilities of the cycloidal drives. Using the z-drive as a powered skeg it is now possible to walk the tug sideways at over five knots. This allows amazing flexibility in handling containerships that are notorious for their high minimum speeds as the tug can travel sideways while still having cycloidal thrust available to apply to the ship’s side.
With two more 3000 HP boats in their own fleet and large numbers of this type of boat in operation world wide, Foss is pleased to share their hard won knowledge in moving these boats from a 35-ton to a 57-ton bollard pull while enhancing their overall operational abilities.
For further information:
Donald G. Hogue
Engineering Director
Foss Maritime Company
660 West Ewing St.
Seattle, WA 98119-1587
Phone: 206 281 3875
e-mail: don@foss.com
www.foss.com
Karel Kaffa
Vice President
KST b.v.
Parklaan 2
3016BB Rotterdam
Phone:31-10-2170257
e-mail:k.kaffa@rotortug.com
www.rotortug.com
KST B.V. DECLARES HER OPTIONS ON TWO RT-60 ROTOR®TUGS.
KST B.V. has declared their option for two RT-60 class Rotor®tugs to be built at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore.
The tugs will have a bollard pull capacity in excess of 65 metric tons each. Delivery of the tugs will be during the month of December 2005.
Both tugs will be powered by three Wartsila 8L20 engines of 1440 kW each at 1000 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will also come from Wartsila/Lips, they are of the FS200/2100 HR CP type. The tugs will be classed by Lloyds Register and will be equipped with firefighting capabilities of not less than 1200 cbm/hr.
The main dimensions of the tug are as follows:
Length over all : 28.30 meters
beam over all : 11.70 meters
Draught : 5.30 meters
KST B.V. and ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd are building these tugs to the highest standard with various features not normally incorporated in a tug. All four RT-60 Rotor tugs are available for direct sale or long-term bareboat contract. KST B.V. invites interesting parties to contact them .
29 MARCH 2004 - KST B.V. ANNOUNCES THE START OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO RT-60 CLASS ROTOR®TUGS
KST b.v. has ordered two RT-60 class Rotor®tugs to be built at ASL Shipyard Pte Ltd in Singapore. The tugs will have a bollard pull capacity in excess of 63 metric tons each. Delivery of the tugs will be during the month of April 2005.
Both tugs will be powered by three Niigata 6L25 HX engines of 1350 kW each at 750 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will also come from Niigata, they are of the ZP 21 FP type. The tugs will be classed by Lloyds Register and will be equipped with firefighting capabilities.
The main dimensions of the tug are as follows:
| Length over all | : | 28.30 meters |
| Beam over all | : | 11.70 meters |
| Draught | : | 5.30 meters |
In addition to the above mentioned order KST b.v. has also taken options on two additional RT-60 Rotor®tugs. Although sharing the same basic design the options will be powered by three Wartsila 6L20 main engines of at least 1200 kW each at 1000 rpm. The three azimuth thrusters will also come from Wartsila, they are of the Wartsila 200/2100mm type with CP fitted in HR nozzles. KST expects to declare the options for these two tugs within the next three months.
KST b.v. is presently in contact with a couple of potential buyers. The investment entered into for these Rotor®tugs is on a speculative basis, as the godfather of the Rotor design Mr Ton Kooren believes that also the present and future tugboat owners/operators in the world should have the opportunity to operate Rotor®tugs in their fleet.
Shipbuilding - Machinery & Marine Technology SMM 2004
We will be pleased to welcome you at our stand no.625 at the SMM International Trade Fair in Hamburg, Germany from sept. 28 - oct. 2 2004
Please visit: www.smm2004.com
AUGUST 2002 - "TON KOOREN OFFICIALY RESIGNED FROM THE KOTUG GROUP"
On 2 Augustus 2002 Ton Kooren officially resigned from the Kotug Group. For the future Ton will be active as owner and advisor of KST B.V. The deputy mayor and councillor for harbour affairs, Mr Wim van Sluis, honoured Ton Kooren for his great virtues for the Rotterdam economy. Ton has been royally honoured as "Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau" and also received the local award called the "Johan ver der Veekenpenning".
FULL SCALE ESCORT TRIALS - October 2001
by KST with Kotug's RT "Magic" and Navion shuttle tanker "Navion Scandia"
Daily tuning, thorough preparations and close cooperation between Navion Shipping - Norway, Kotug - Rotterdam, partner Schottel-Werft and KST culminated in spectacular full scale escort trials at the North Sea.
Location: o/b RT "Magic"
Day: Sunday
Date: August 26th 2001
Time: 9 a.m.
Weather: Fine, slightly hazy
Large mugs of coffee, a last check and briefing on board of RT "Magic" was the kick-off for the first full scale escort trials ever being held in Holland. At the same time vivid proof of the saying 'Union is Strength' by united corporation of all participants.
| Two companies, putting their vessels available for these trials; NAVION SHIPPING and KOTUG with respectively the 1998 built tanker "Navion Scandia" with a length of 265 mtr. and the 1999 built tugboat RT "Magic" with a bollard pull of 80 tons. A pilot of Maritime Pilots Institute Netherlands with the master of the Navion Scandia delivering nautical input to the |
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The SD 'Jacoba' stayed in sight as stand-by vessel and was in an excellent position to shoot pictures and video-shots from.
Amongst the team R&D specialists of Schottel were present together with experts of the Trials and Monitoring Department of MARIN (Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands)
Besides the crews of the various vessels, representatives of Navion Shipping, Navion's agent Vopak and Kotug were present. All manoeuvres and trials were filmed by cameramen from Crea Media and part of the shots were taken with the aid of the Rotterdam Pilots helicopter.
From 11 am until 6 pm the following escort towing modes were tested:
Transverse arrest over the bow and over the stern
Reverse arrest over the bow and over the stern
Indirect arrest over the bow and over the stern
Combination arrest over the bow and over the stern
Each test started at a speed of the tanker of 4 knots, whereby the tanker's speed was increased gradually up to 12 knots and decelerated again to 4 knots.
At about 4 pm the weather conditions deteriorated and the tests were terminated successfully at 6 pm. All measured data will be processed by MARIN and conclusions will be used for the design of a special escort version of the Rotor® tug.
SEATRADE AWARDS LONDON 2001
| KST B.V. has been highly commended for their Rotor® tug concept in the "Innovation in Ship Operations" category. The prestigious prizes were awarded by Professor David Currie on behalf of the Seatrade Organisation during their recent Seatrade Awards Ceremony Dinner at The Guildhall in the City of London on the 9th of April 2001. |  |
KNVTS AWARD FOR RT MAGIC/RT MAGIC SHIP OF THE YEAR 2000
| During the annual meeting of the Royal Netherlands Association of Shipping Technicians (KNVTS), the tug RT Magic was named 'Ship of the Year 2000'. In making this award, the jury above all considered innovations which have a positive effect on ship operation. Besides the RT Magic, an advanced chemical tanker and a cutting suction dredger were nominated for the prize. The KNVTS Award, in the form of a magnificent model of a 17th century trading vessel, was presented on |
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