MES Trading - ever ything cer tified, ever ything in stock...

In general an anchor has a life span of 15 to 20 years but, if it needs replacing, it should be done swiftly This would require a reliable supplier who knows the industr y and has a huge amount of storage

Jacques van Mill star ted working in the family business when he left school In those days it was called ‘Van Mill International’ and was a wholesale ship accessories and general offshore equipment supplier

Jacques knew that what was required to really establish his own company was storage - and plenty of it! Van Mill began in 2000 and had a warehouse of 1,000 sq metres Since then his new company, ‘Marine Equipment Ser vices’ (MES) based in Arkel, a city nor th of Gorinchem, has built an enviable reputation in marine equipment, set within a much larger storage facility of 4,000 sq metres

“My motto is: The best recommendation is the stock,” said Jacques, “In our industr y a company delivering par ticular products fast and directly, will ultimately prevail,” he added Van Mill buys his stock strategically, he chooses products which, in most cases, are not directly available from stock or wholesale These products are then stored in large volumes

“Within the marine industr y you can quickly make a name for yourself The decisive factors are fast deliver y options as well as good value for money In most cases the customers have their products within 24 hours from submitting their order” commented Jacques

From an anchor to a jack-up platform, MES concentrate on main products being stock items at their depot The aim is that each year the range is expanded to include additional items The company also specialises in other items like winches, workboats, powerpacks etc

Standard amenities include various anchoring systems including the MESDolphin in different models ranging from 100 kilograms to 15,000 kilograms With their bespoke ser vice they can also produce anchor systems up to 32,000 kilograms

“We take care of our customers by providing a full ser vice from star t to product deliver y The systems are either built inhouse or off-site We take care of the transpor tation as well as the maintenance” said Jacques

Among the many customers of MES there are ‘Shipyards’ the offshore field and construction company that specialises in the infrastructure of por ts For this company MES supplies accessories including cranes, jack-up platforms and workboats for lease at extremely competitive rates

Around 85% of all MES goods are destined for expor t with clients primarily coming from Nor thern Europe including Germany, Denmark, England and Scandinavia Ever y product and ever y system is delivered and individually cer tified on installation

“By doing this we are able to guarantee deliver y of a first class product ever y time”, said Jacques www mestrading com

Methanol tug agreement

The general move t owards alt ernative-fuelled tugs, in both new constructions and retrofits, is st eadily gathering force. To this end, Damen, Cat erpillar and impor t er Pon Power have signed an MoU t o develop methanol-fuelled tugs.

Damen sees this as presenting another ‘ green ’ option for customers alongside its all-electric tug option, suitably represented by the RSD-E Tug 2513 Sparky delivered recently to Por ts of Auckland, New Zealand and earning the ITS Tug of the Year award 2022

The MoU involves joint development of a series of dual-fuel methanol/dieselpowered tugs, Damen saying its long-term strategy is to offer a full range of sustainable tugs featuring both zero emission electric and carbon neutral methanol-fuelled vessels

The methanol-ready CAT 3500E series dual-fuel pilot engines will be delivered to Damen by Pon Power in 2024, when the process of integration and testing will begin, described as being a “complex under taking” involving integrating the engines with all aspects of the ship’s control, monitoring, ventilation and other systems

The process will include close cooperation with classification societies and the aim is to have methanol-fuelled vessels ready for series production in 2026

Damen’s two option strategy will see fully-electric tugs available in 40, 60 and 80 tonne bollard pull versions with methanol-fuelled tugs offering a slightly more power ful range of 60, 80 and 100 tonnes

Electrically powered tugs are considered an option for zero emission operations where low-cost electricity can be easily accessed between assignments.

As methanol has a greater energy density than batteries, this route delivers increased energy storage capacity suited for longer duration operations while remaining CO2 neutral. All the vessels will be fitted with a standard Emissions Reduction System developed and delivered by Damen Sustainable Solutions.

Brad Johnson, Vice President and General Manager, Caterpillar Marine describes the collaboration as: “bringing together immeasurable exper tise that allows us to learn together and innovate to address the great challenge of the energy transition” www.damen.com

Sanmar delive r s th ird tug to o pe rate in challen g in g wate r s aro u n d Orkn ey

Freyja of Scapa, the third new tug built by Sanmar Shipyards for Orkney Islands Council, was welcomed t o its new home in the Scapa Flow, lat e las t year, af t er completing a 3,500 nautical mile deliver y voyage from the Sanmar Tuzla Shipyard.

Like its previously delivered sister tugs Odin of Scapa and Thor of Scapa, the RAstar 3200SX design Freyja of Scapa is based on Canadian naval architects Rober t Allan Ltd’s specific design to provide the levels of per formance and seakeeping ability that is essential when operating in extremely challenging conditions such as those often found in the seas around Orkney

Measuring 32m LOA with a moulded breadth of 13m and moulded depth of 5 35m, the vessel is powered by two high-speed marine diesel Caterpillar 3516C engines, each producing 2 350kW at 1.800 rev/min to drive Kongsberg US255CP azimuth thrusters, achieving an impressive bollard pull of 78-plus tons and a free-running speed ahead of over 14 knots

The Z-drive tug has FiFi 1 fire-fighting capability and can carr y 165m3 of fuel oil and 20m3 of fresh water. Accommodation comprises two cabins for two officers in the upper deck and four cabins for four, which can increase to six crew with pullman beds, in the lower deck

Ruchan Civgin, Commercial Director of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “We are delighted that Orkney Islands Council’s experience of operating Odin of Scapa and Thor of Scapa in the demanding waters around their islands has led them to return to Sanmar when adding a third tug to their fleet

It is always gratifying when satisfied customers come back for more ”

David Sawkins, Deputy Harbour Master Strategy and Suppor t of Orkney Islands Council, said: “We are as delighted with the quality of the new tug as we were with the original two, which have been working hard in Scapa Flow and around Orkney since their arrival in October 2020

It is already apparent that Freyja of Scapa is going to be as busy given the ongoing increased activity in our waters The new tugs allow us to continue to move with the times, ensuring a first-class ser vice to our clients ” www sanmar com tr