dutchharbourtug

This is an accurate scale model of a modern small harbour and barge towing river tug, one of a considerable number built over several years by Damen Shipyards in Holland as variations of a standardised design called the Stantug 4. Damen offered a huge variety of options for these tugs, which were built on a production-line basis. In recent years, they have been constructed in Eastern Europe to save on labour costs, being shipped over to Damen as bare hulls, for fitting out to the customer’s exact specification. The model can quite correctly be fitted with either single or twin motors and propellers, either open or in Kort nozzles, and there have been pusher and tractor tugs versions with forward or aft superstructures. The superstructure layout and fittings are relatively simple, and the roomy shallow-vee hard chine hull has a wide transom stern. The first two photos show two new Stantug 4s on Builder’s trials on the Oosterschelde close to the main Damen shipyard at Gorinchem. The third photo shows a pair of hulls, and the final one a finished model, showing the sort of attractive colour scheme that can be applied to these vessels.