BIS VIRIDIS ‘TRULY IMPRESSIVE’

‘The Bis Viridis is silent, smoothly finished and sails with its two skegs like a razorblade through the water.’ Captain Ernst, Superintendent Global Ship Delivery, but also experienced ASD Master at TOS spent a week on board the Bis Viridis in the Port of Antwerp. On special request of the vessel owner Damen Marine Services, he gave demonstrations with the ship. ‘Had a great day out on board the DAMEN RSD 2513 Bis Viridis. This is ASD 2.0. The manoeuvrability, the silence, the lack of any vibrations. Truly impressive!’

‘I’m very enthusiastic about this boat. I had the honour of giving a demonstration of the boat to the many guests on board. It’s great work. The ship sails 12 knots both forwards and backwards and navigates even at this speed as sharp as a razorblade. Also, navigating as tail tug is very pleasant. So, the large skegs work well even with indirect steering. Captain Ernst is a proud and experienced port towing captain, but above all he has a lot to say and likes to share his experiences.

‘The dead-slow speed (the slowest speed that a vessel can sail with clutched-in propeller) of the largest container vessel worldwide is sometimes 10 knots. Since this type of tugboat can sail backwards at speeds up to 12 knots with smooth navigation, you can make fast at high speed. It’s hardly necessary to slow down the seagoing vessel at all. Which is great, because the pilot doesn’t have to wait as long or have the ship driven out. And that saves time! This way, the port’s tugboat is no longer a limiting factor in the port towing service. For the average tugboat, the speed at which it can fasten while sailing backwards is about 6 or 7 knots. What is also noticeable is the noise level or, rather, the silence. From both inside and outside the vessel, it is very quiet and you’re no longer groggy after a day at work,’ tells Ernst.