Life on a tug

Tugs play an important role in Østensjø Rederi’s fleet. Fleet Manager Sveinung Zahl tells us a little about life on a tug.

BY HELENE B. HELGELAND // PYX PHOTO GRETHE NYGAARD

MUST SOLVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT TASKS

– The tugs in Østensjø Rederi are usually on long-term terminal contracts. Their job is to assist vessels that are coming in or going out. It can be quiet days, with only a few vessels, or very busy days where tankers come in all the time. In addition, there are daily routines, with maintenance of machines and on deck, explains Zahl.

Tugs are small environments, where the crew has to solve several tasks, such as cooking.

– It’s usually an able seaman who cooks, or several people on board serving their signature dishes, Zahl smiles.

He points to stability as one of the great advantages of working on tugs. While many sailors can wake up in a completely foreign place, tugs are in port when they are going to rest. In addition, the crew always know when they are going home and when they are going out. They are also less exposed to bad weather, at least for the most part.

– Tugs commonly operate deep in the fjords and are not so affected by bad weather, but if it gets rough while they’re on their way out to meet a vessel, it feels good. It’s a small vessel, and they meet the ships all the way out on the coast, then it can be tough to be on deck. In addition, the tug has two jobs, they must take care of themselves and on the tanker they are escorting, says Zahl.

RESCUE MISSIONS

If a vessel gets in trouble, it is often the tugs that scramble to help get them in. – It can quickly become exciting when autumn and winter approach. A vessel’s engine may suddenly shut down at sea and a tug will have to go out on a rescue mission. It was one of our vessels that evacuated the crew at frigate Helge Ingstad, says Zahl.

He tells how the tug had just escorted the out TS Sola, the tanker the frigate collided with.

- They had just come in and were going to lie down and rest. Then they were told about the shipwreck and had to go straight back out. Then just throw your way around, all hands on deck. They did a good job that night.

GREEN TRANSITION

The green shift includes all ship traffic, and for tug it is extra challenging.

– A tug needs lots of power in a very small hull, Zahl explains. – Today’s solutions, which are used on ferries, for example, are not suitable for a tug. It is simply limited how much energy a small vessel can carry.

Nevertheless, Zahl is optimistic about the future, and efforts are being made to find new solutions.

– We are determinded to come up with a zero-emission solution so that we can offer it to customers who want it. When we build a vessel, it should last for 20-25 years, and then they must be forward-looking. We hope a solution will come soon so that we can get the first vessels up and running and then further develop them.