Haifa Port's new Tug, "Elad", the biggest and most powerful in Israel, arrived last week in Haifa Port after a direct voyage from Northern Spain, where it was built in a local shipyard.
The new tug is a sister to the ‘Ilan I’, which began towing and general harbour operations at Haifa Port in 2012.
The Tug is named after the late Elad Ram, the son of Atzmon Ram who was the Senior Tug Captain at Haifa Port, and who retired in 2000. Elad, an IDF fighter, was killed in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War.
With a length of 31.5 m and a 12.5-m beam, the new vessel’s Voith Design hull has a bollard pull of 75 t. It is equipped with a minimum of two monitors, each able to discharge 1,500 m3/h at a pressure of 14 bar, and is classified by Lloyd’s Register with FiFi 1 notation. The new tug will be equipped with 2 Voith 32R5 propulsion units coupled to the two MAN 8L27/38 main engines, each developing 2,670 kW.
This particular set-up will maximise harbor manoeuvrability and minimize emissions as well as noise and vibration levels. Voith Schneider propellers are specialized, highly manoeuvrable marine-propulsion systems that can change the direction of thrust almost instantaneously.
The Tug entered the Port escorted by three of its sister-tugs who sounded their sirens and operated their water hoses in its honor as is customary in traditional maritime ceremonies.
When the "Elad" becomes fully operational in about a month's time, the Haifa Port Tug Fleet will enable giant ships to dock at the Carmel Terminal.
Mendy Zaltzman, the CEO of Haifa Port Company: "This constitutes a very significant power addition to the Maritime Division of Haifa Port. I am grateful to all those who have helped us in bringing such an advanced and qualitative Tug to Haifa in a short period of time and with excellent timing from our point of view, coinciding with the start of operation of the 2M Line. We have foreseen the future and have made long term calculations, the result being that currently we are in possession of two big and powerful tugs for use with giant ships. A big vote of thanks to the Haifa Port procurement personnel, and to those in the Maritime Department, as well as to Omri Dagol and the people from Dockport Company who have been with us all the way".
