Small super tug will help guide new aircraft carriers into Portsmouth

SHE may be small but this is the '˜super tug' being built to help the navy's new aircraft carriers into and out of Portsmouth.
By The Newsroom
Published 15th Feb 2016, 05:00 BST
Updated 17th Feb 2016, 07:54 BST
The new tug which will play a vital role in guiding the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth in and out of PortsmouthThe new tug which will play a vital role in guiding the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth in and out of Portsmouth
The new tug which will play a vital role in guiding the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth in and out of Portsmouth

Arriving in the city early next year, the vessel will prove vital in guiding the 65,000-tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth in and out of the harbour as well as on and off the wall of the new Princess Royal jetty.

Support firm Serco – which operates tugs and harbour vessels used by the navy – has commissioned Dutch firm Damen to construct the craft.

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The 107ft vessel comes with a bollard pull – the standard rate of measurement in tugboat world – of 84 tonnes; standard tugs are measured at 50 tonnes while those working with large commercial ships are at 60-65 tonnes.

Related topics:SercoPortsmouthHMS Queen Elizabeth