MID WEST Ports welcomed the third and final new tug, Svitzer Wilu, to the Port of Geraldton on Monday evening.
It joins Svitzer North and Svitzer Abrolhos to form the tug new fleet at the port.
Following a community naming competition held jointly with Svitzer Australia, the vessel Svitzer Wilu was named in recognition of the rich indigenous heritage in the Mid West. Wilu is the Aboriginal word for sea, seaside or salt water and was received by as a nomination by a community member.
Svitzer Wilu is 30 metres in length and it has 70 tonnes of bollard pull. The tug has significant safety capabilities with advanced firefighting capabilities on board.
Mid West Ports Authority CEO Dr Rochelle Macdonald said it is exciting to welcome the final tug to the fleet.
“The three new tugs provide an extra level of capability for the port while assisting ships in heightened weather conditions and in the event of an emergency,” she said.
Svitzer general manager Jodie Ransom said: “Svitzer Australia is very pleased to welcome the arrival of Svitzer Wilu and look forward to mobilising our new, state of the art fleet in the port of Geraldton and continuing our relationship with Mid West Ports Authority as their towage provider”. A community competition to name the three tugs was held at the end of 2019. With all three tugs now in Geraldton, MWPA and Svitzer look to announce a naming ceremony where winners will be invited to tour the tugs.
