Megatugs

SALVAGE AND TOWING AROUND THE AEGEAN

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Salvage and towing around the Aegean

Megatugs Salvage & Towage has over 40 years’ experience in harbour and ocean towing, salvage, welding and a broad range of related maritime services. COO Anastasios Magiatis described the expanding Megatugs fleet and reviewed the highlights of the company’s history.

A report by Jordan Yallop and Phil Nicholls.

Megatugs Salvage & Towage is based in the busy Greek ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki, providing a broad range of maritime ser vices. To keep afloat in such a dynamic market, the company must remain agile and responsive to openings within the sector. New opportunities and shrewd business growth often work in tandem.

“Megatugs made the recent acquisition of another tug,” COO Anastasios Magiatis said. “The AIGAION PELAGOS will be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, anchor handling supply and salvage tug operating in Greece.”

Established in 1978, Megatugs began offering harbour towage around the greater Piraeus area. The operation quickly expanded to Thessaloniki, before adding ocean towing in 1990 with a larger tug joining the fleet. Megatugs saw a gap in the market in 2016 when it modernised

its fleet with new tugs offering salvage and pollution response capabilities. Further diversification came with the recent acqui sition of two floating cranes, bringing more options to the fleet. The modernisa tion programme at Megatugs represents a $35 million investment in the future of the company.

Today, Megatugs remains headquartered close to Piraeus harbour, with a satellite office in Thessaloniki. As part of the sal vage and pollution response operation, Megatugs also maintains a large warehouse near Piraeus port. Across these three sites, Megatugs employs 30 staff, plus another 70 seafarers operating the mixed fleet.

Fleet deployment

“At the moment, we own ten tugs,” explained Mr Magiatis, “including the new anchor handling tug AIGAION

PELAGOS and a newly acquired ASD tug which should enter service within September.” Megatugs is considering fur ther fleet expansion, but believes cautious growth is best for the business. Possible additions include another anchor handling tug and a second crane barge.

Mr Magiatis continued: “Not including our two newest vessels, of the eight cur rently in operation, two of them operate per manently in Thessaloniki and six are based in Piraeus. Four of the tugs are also salvage and oil response vessels, equipped with all the necessary equipment to perform sal vage and pollution-prevention services. In addition, we have an 80m floating crane with a lifting capacity of 245 tonnes at sea. When we combine all these resources, Megatugs can respond to any situation in our area.”

Indeed, Megatugs offers a broad package of services in the region. Alongside the harbour and ocean towing, the company also undertakes salvage and wreck removal, crane services, diving support, and has recently expanded into underwater welding for permanent wet repairs. Towing opera tions in Piraeus and Thessaloniki ensure a steady income for the company, but Megatugs is fully equipped to deal with any supplemental opportunity that may sail into view.

Fire, flood and salvage

The range of Megatugs’ capabilities is illustrated by its involvement in the case of the 5,500 DWT MV CABRERA which was carrying 3,728 tonnes of ferronickel granules from Larymna in Greece to Finland. In extreme weather conditions on 24th December 2016, CABRERA ran aground on the north side of Andros, an island in the central Aegean Sea. The crew were evacuated by a Greek Navy heli copter, leaving the CABRERA polluting the sea and nearby beaches.

Megatugs was initially recruited to deal with the pollution, and was required to build its own access roads to reach some of Andros’ affected beaches. Once the pollu tion was cleaned away, Megatugs was then offered the contract to recover the valu able cargo from the wreck. This operation required a fleet of barges and cranes. Finally, the insurers contracted Megatugs to remove the aft part of the wreck of CABRERA, which was duly recovered and towed to a scrap facility in Turkey.

A more recent operation for Megatugs related to the Euroferry Olympia fire in February 2022 off the north of Corfu. Initially, Megatugs provided firefighting services and assisted the rescue of passen gers from the burning ferry. Once the fire was extinguished, Megatugs’ vessels per formed cargo removal, environmental pro tection services, caretaking of the vessel and keeping her safe and stable.

As these two cases demonstrate, Megatugs deploys a broad portfolio of ser vices. “We believe that we have a competi tive advantage over our competitors,” said Mr Magiatis. “We have excellent long-term reliability in providing our services and a successful record in almost all of our projects, along with a very high standard of maintenance. We also have a good organisational structure that supports the day-to-day operation of our vessels.”

Fair competition

According to Mr Magiatis, a close relation ship with suppliers and partners is vital for Megatugs’ continued success.

“Our suppliers are very important in our business, because the quality of the ser vice we deliver relies upon the operating efficiency of our suppliers. Megatugs has several criteria for our suppliers, notably their reliability and prompt provision of

MEGATUGS SALVAGE & TOWAGE I PROFILE

services. These requirements are crucial in our business because when you need the help of a third party, you must have it immediately; there is no time to wait.”

Megatugs takes its social responsibility seriously, caring for its workforce and ensuring the complex knowledge and experience required for efficient salvage and towing operations is passed across generations. The company is also active within environmental protection through its pollution response services, with a par ticular focus on handling oil pollution.

The uncertain global economy remains a challenge for Megatugs, but more pressing are the local issues facing the company.

“There is a need for modernisation of the legal framework in Greece to promote fair competition and safety,” Mr Magiatis explained. “This is very important for us, because companies that invest heavily in modern equipment and employ competent personnel should not be vulnerable to unfair competition. What we need are clear rules, standards and prerequisites, then every business can compete in a fair and healthy manner.”

Despite these challenges, Megatugs remains optimistic for the future. “Our first goal is to maintain and strengthen our posi tion in the local harbour towing market,” Mr Magiatis concluded, “and to become more involved in worldwide salvage cases a sector where Megatugs is expanding.

“We also anticipate there will be sig nificant business growth in the eastern Mediterranean over the next year. Our strategy is for a controlled expansion, taking cautious steps as we have always done in the past.” n