Sleepboten

A tug (tugboat or towboat) is a type of vessel that maneuvers other vessels by pushing or pulling them either by direct contact or by means of a tow line. Tugs typically move vessels that either are restricted in their ability to maneuver on their own, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal, or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil platforms.

Tugboats

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Schleppern

Tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going. Some tugboats serve as icebreakers or salvage boats. Early tugboats had steam engines, but later on most had diesel engines. Many tugboats have firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in harbors.

Remolcadores

拖船

टग्स

Svitzer Sleepboten in de Haven van Amsterdam, Nederland — Svitzer Tugs in the Port of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Remorqueurs

Compared to seagoing tugboats, harbour tugboats are generally smaller and their width-to-length ratio is often higher, due to the need for a lower draught. In smaller harbours these are often also termed lunch bucket boats, because they are only manned when needed and only at a minimum (captain and deckhand), thus the crew will bring their own lunch with them. The number of tugboats in a harbour varies with the harbour infrastructure and the types of tugboats. Things to take into consideration includes ships with/without bow thrusters and forces like wind, current and waves and types of ship (e.g. in some countries there is a requirement for certain numbers and sizes of tugboats for port operations with gas tankers).

タグボート

Буксиры

Römorkörler

River tugs are also referred to as towboats or pushboats. Their hull designs would make open ocean operation dangerous. River tugs usually do not have any significant hawser or winch. Their hulls feature a flat front or bow to line up with the rectangular stern of the barge, often with large pushing knees.

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The name “Maassluis” brings to mind water, fishing, shipyards, tugging services and salvage companies. The historic little harbour town is the birthplace of Dutch tugging. Fishing and its associated businesses brought great prosperity to Maassluis. After the construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg canal in 1872, pilotage services acquired a permanent place in the harbour.

Dansk cutter Adriana Wilhelmina i Maassluis, Holland — Danish Cutter ‘Adriana Wilhelmina’ (1949) in Maassluis, The Netherlands

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Photos and Videos of the Shipping in Maassluis, The Netherlands

Bergingsvaartuig De Bruinvisch (1937) in Maassluis, Nederland — Salvage Vessel ‘De Bruinvisch’ (Harbour porpoise – 1937) in Maassluis, The Netherlands

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Maassluis was also internationally known as the home port of one of the best known pilotage companies in the world, Smit & Cos Internationale Sleepdienst (now Smit-Lloyd, Rotterdam). The Nationaal Sleepvaart Museum (National Towage Museum) sheds light on the history of this extraordinary trade. The museum has a collection of models, replicas and photos of tug boats and salvage vessels, which together give an outline of the history of shipping, at sea, in the port and on inland waterways.

Fotos und Videos von Schifffahrt in Maassluis, Niederlande

Gezeitenuhr (2001) von Jacob Venker in Maassluis, Niederlande — Tide Clock (2001) by Jacob Venker in Maassluis, The Netherlands

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Fotos y Vídeos de Transporte de Agua en Maassluis, Países Bajos

Research vessel Geo Focus (2012) in Maassluis, The Netherlands — Research Vessel ‘Geo Focus’ (2012) in Maassluis, The Netherlands

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The shipbuilders Scheepswerf L. Smit & Zoon stationed tug boats in Maassluis from 1872. From 1892 they were augmented by seagoing tugboats. In an emergency, these tugboats could reach ships at sea in a short time. The company underwent enormous expansion and its operations were extended to the furthest corners of the world. But times changed. At the beginning of the 1980s the last tugboats were sold abroad and departed from Maassluis. The large tugboats which are left, like the Smit Rotterdam and the Smit London, have too deep a draught to be able to put in at the port where once it all began.