THE BUNBURY port community has welcomed its two newest Svitzer tugboats with a traditional maritime naming ceremony.
Svitzer Koombana and Svitzer Marlston were introduced earlier in the year but were officially named at the ceremony.
Agents, customers, community stakeholders, employees, Southern Ports representatives and Svitzer’s local crew attended the event last week.
Deputy Mayor of Bunbury City Council and member of Bunbury Port Community Consultation Committee, Cr Tresslyn Smith was naming mother for the event.
Southern Ports and Svitzer employees suggested the names, inspired by Koombana Bay, where Bunbury is located, and nearby hill Marlston, which overlooks the Bunbury and Koombana Bay.
The tugs were designed by Dutch shipbuilder Damen and built in Vietnam. Svitzer said the Damen RSD 2513s are the first of their kind in Australia.
It said they are powerful reverse-stern drive tugs with first-class firefighting capabilities.
Speaking at the ceremony, Jodie Ransom, Svitzer’s general manager harbour towage – west, said Svitzer was proud of being a local company in the communities it operates in.
“Our local crew do an incredible job delivering safe, reliable and efficient towage operations,” Ms Ransom said.
Ms Ransom said last month the Bunbury crew reported its highest emissions savings in its short period of operations, under Svitzer’s carbon reduction program.
According to the towage company, the Bunbury team saved 3714 tonnes of carbon dioxide through fuel efficient operations in November.
