TOWING TRANSPORT PULLS AHEAD

BARGE TRANSPORTATION: A Danish towage company which specialises in barge transportation has broken with the former secrecy over the positions of towing boats. The new style helps ensure customers lower prices and greater efficiency

While the tug and towing boat sector have previously held their cards close to their chests regarding each company’s activities, the Danish towing company Svendborg Bugser was the first firm to start sending out position lists to its large customer base some time ago. That caused more and more shipping companies in the sector to follow suit. To Svendborg Bugser A/S, it has meant strong growth in activities, which in recent years have been extended from the natural geographical area around the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, to now include the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Africa.

“The tug and towing boat sector has been a relatively closed world, where secrecy has helped to keep prices up,” says Niels Henriksen, managing director of Svendborg Bugser. “Especially in northern Europe which is lagging behind the rest of the world regarding barges. We help to promote this highly flexible form of transportation for example by sending out position lists which give a far better level of utilisation of the shipping company’s ships and material.”

Svendborg Bugser A/S is owned by the Henriksen family. The current fleet comprises 8 ships with pulling power ranging from 11 – 55 M/Tons, a multipurpose vessel and 3 barges. The company was established in 1977. It handles a wide variety of tasks including barge transportation in Russia, rescue operations, cable laying, transportation of large, unmanageable objects throughout most of Europe, and transportation of large steel or concrete constructions for the shipyard and bridge building industry.

“I am convinced that we will see strong growth in northern Europe in our sector,” says Niels Henriksen. “Barge transportation is far more flexible and more economical than ordinary ship transportation, and since the trend is already going in the direction of larger and larger ships and barges, an increasing proportion of traditional ship cargo will also be moved to the towage industry.”

http://www.svendborgbugser.dk