Damen Shipyards has laid the keel of the Swedish Navy’s future Ice-class harbor tugboat fleet at the Albwardy Damen facility in Dubai.
A traditional ceremony was held to officially begin the construction, involving the welding of coins from the UAE, Sweden, and the Netherlands onto a steel plate to be placed on the hull.
“In the days of wooden sailing vessels, ship builders placed a coin on the keel under the mast before it was raised,” Swedish Defence Materiel Administration Naval Division Director Gen. Patric Hjorth explained.
“Today, we like to keep up this tradition to honour and maintain the skills of the seafarers that developed the art of navigation and safely sailing a vessel under all circumstances.”
Stan Tug 1706 Fleet
The event follows the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration’s order of four Ice-class Stan Tug 1706 vessels in June.
Under the agreement, Damen will leverage designs from Stan Tug 1606 models. The contract also offers optional construction for two additional vessels.
The Swedish Navy will operate the fleet in the northern territories once delivered.
Tailormade Vessels
The future tugboats will be integrated with 17-meter (56 feet) hulls specially constructed to withstand sub-zero temperatures.
The vessels will receive double-glazing treatment, enhanced heating technology, and optimized navigation lights to prevent snow and ice from blocking illumination.
“We are happy with the approach of Damen to answer all of our wishes and demands for the arrangement of these vessels,” Hjorth said.
“They have taken the performance fundamentals of a workboat to adapt these into a tailormade vessel that is equipped to military standards.”
Damen in Swedish Coastguard
Earlier this year, Damen and the Swedish Coast Guard signed a contract to develop seven KBV 320 patrol vessels.
The boats will have carbon fiber coating for lightweight navigation and lower surface resistance.