SALVAGE & TOWAGE CONTINUES TO PROSPER
DESPITE the depressed
state of the shipping industry worldwide, Hutchison associate Hongkong Salvage & Towage has continued to prosper. As its name implies, harbour towage is its main activity and, as the largest berthing company operating in Hong Kong, it wins the lion's share of the large vessels that call at Kwai Chung and Tap Shek Kok.
And its 350 ton capacity heavy-lift barge, ‘Proteus', is able to discharge heavy loads from ships or to undertake jobs in connection with salvage and marine construction work, including bridges and outfalls. The increase in smaller vessels discharging from buoys in the harbour and the needs of Hong Kong power utilities to construct marine outfalls for water-cooled power stations have kept Proteus busy.
"But at the moment the salvage side of our business is not doing too well," general manager Alan Curtis frankly admits. "Salvage relates to vessels that have gone aground or require assistance at sea and there has been little call for these services in Hong Kong during the past year.
"In order for us to compete in the salvage market and diversify into coastal towage, a new building, multipurpose tug has been ordered for delivery in May this year. A modern berthing tug has also been bought.
**Both vessels will be used for the traditional business of harbour towage, but we will extend our range beyond coastal waters with our new multipurpose tug."
The new vessels will replace older ones that are being sold so that Salvage & Towage's fleet will be maintained at 13 tugs, one mooring pontoon and four other vessels.
The company's reputation is based very much on the experience of its 135 staff, 109 of whom crew the fleet. In the office, the operational room is staffed 24 hours a day to take calls from agents booking tugs for incoming and outgoing vessels, often at short notice.
Although the new vessels will help protect Salvage & Towage from erosion of its main line of business, the company could still be affected by falling exports.
"If exports go down, the number of vessel calls goes down and our business is already highly competitive," Mr Curtis says.
HEUNG KONG
WAG AN
H.X.SALVAGE&TOWAGE
VAGE & TORAGE
ALAN CURTIS, GENERAL
MANAGER OF HONGKONG
SALVAGE & TOWAGE.
"We will extend our
range beyond coastal
waters with our new
multipurpose tug.”
19
HUTCHISON WHAMPOA LIMITED
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