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Orkney Towage

Orkney Towage Company Ltd. was formed on 21 April 1976 primarily to provide towage services for the then Occidental Oil Terminal on Flotta.

The company was a joint venture with JP Knights of Invergordon and the Orkney Islands Council. The initial operation used two conventional twin-screw tugs the Kinloch and the Kessock, these vessels had a bollard pull of 38 tons. In 1978 the Kintore joined the fleet, again the Kintore was a conventional twin-screw tug with a bollard pull of 42 tons.

In 1989 a new building program began to replace the two smaller tugs Kinloch and Kessock. Their successors would be modern Azimuth Stern Drive tugs with a bollard pull of 55 tons, the Einar and Erlend. In 1992 the Kintore was replaced with the Harald, basically the same as Einar and Erlend with slight changes to the superstructure and accommodation layout.

From January 2005 Orkney Towage Company Ltd is owned entirely by Orkney Islands Council. The remaining shares of JP Knights being bought out by Orkney Islands Council.

Orkney Towage vessels are now primarily engaged in providing the towage services for the Oil Port of Scapa Flow. There duties include assisting in the berthing and sailing of oil tankers and gas tankers from the Jetty and Single Point Mooring operated now by Talisman UK. The berthing and sailing of oil tankers involved in Ship-to-Ship operations and escort duties for oil tankers arriving and departing Scapa Flow.

Orkney Towage is signatory to the CAST agreement (Coastguard Agreement for Salvage and Towage), under the CAST agreement the MCA may call upon the services of Orkney Towage vessels subject to them being available to assist in salvage operations were a vessel is in danger of causing pollution, danger to other shipping or to assist in counter pollution duties.

On occasions when the service of a tug is not required in Scapa Flow, Orkney Towage is available for towage services within the area of the North of Scotland.

Throughout their years in operation Orkney Towage have been involved in numerous salvage operations in the Orkney and Caithness area, these ranging from fishing vessels ashore to bulk carriers adrift in the Pentland Firth.

The tugs and their crews are also a key part of the Oil Pollution Response Contingency Plan for Scapa Flow, each tug has a knuckle boom crane which can be used for deploying pollution equipment as well as transporting equipment to the location of a pollution incident. Tug crews are involved in regular oil pollution training exercises with the Orkney Islands Council Department of Harbours.

The crews employed onboard the tugs operated by Orkney Towage are well-trained and experienced personnel all certified to STCW ’95. In 2003 Orkney Towage achieved full compliance with the requirements of the International Safety Management Code (ISM code).

Contact details

Marine Superintendent Captain David Thomson
Orkney Towage Company Ltd
Harbour Authority Building
Scapa
KW15 1D

Tel 01856 873636
Fax 01856 877635
e-mail orkney.towage@orkney.gov.uk

Orkney Towage operates a 24 hour towage service in Scapa Flow with 3 azimuth stern drive tugs, Einar, Erlend and Harald. The crews serving on board these vessels are certified to STCW 95 standards. Orkney Towage is ISM code compliant.

The tugs each develop a total of 4000hp through twin stern “aqua-masters”. This equates to a bollard pull of 55t ahead and 47t astern. Each tug is equipped with towing equipment capable of withstanding loads in excess of 120 tonnes. Tug lines are used for most of the operations carried out in Scapa Flow.

Each tug is also equipped with fire fighting monitors and can also be used for counter pollution duties. On occasion, the tugs assist with general port services such as supplying fresh water or gas oil.

Tug Availability

The following table outlines the number of tugs available for specific ship movements
in Scapa Flow.

During emergency situations and in exceptional circumstances, additional tugs may be called
on for assistance.

On occasion, the harbour tugs may be available for assisting vessels manoeuvring in other
areas around Orkney and for salvage work. These services may be subject to operational
requirements in Scapa Flow. For towage services contact Orkney Towage.

Tug Escorts

Orkney Harbour Authority requires that certain vessels (primarily loaded tankers) navigating in the Hoxa Sound / Scapa Flow areas are escorted by tugs. The requirements are based on the quantity of pollutants carried and are outlined in the table below.

The master and pilot have the authority to dispense with a tug escort in area
“C” should they consider it appropriate.

It is also recommended that ballasted tankers are accompanied by a tug escort
as follows: -
Area A 1 tug standby
Area B 1 tug on active mode
Area C 1 tug on passive mode

For the purpose of tug escorts, a pollutant is defined as crude oil or heavy
bunker fuel.

Tug escort areas within Scapa Flow

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