Port of Cotonou Equipment Upgrade: First Tug Underway for Cotonou

 

 

One of the two tugs ordered by the Cotonou Port Authority (Port Autonome de Cotonou “PAC” ), and under construction at the Damen shipyard in Vietnam since last year, has already been en route to Cotonou since 31 May 2021.

This latest generation ASD-type machine, with a tensile force of 85 tons, is known for its robustness and power that fits perfectly with the current needs of the Port of Cotonou.

Expected in Cotonou at the end of July 2021, its operational situation will not be effective until the end of August 2021, after the commissioning process between the specialized agents of the PAC, the instructors of the manufacturer and the experts of the Port of Antwerp. Also for its perfect use, a training of tug pilots and assimilated for the appropriation of the new techniques of maneuvering tugs of this type is planned and will be financed by Enabel Benin as part of its project PASport.

This acquisition, which is a great first in the history of the Cotonou Port Authority, was made as part of the vast project of modernization and renovation of infrastructure and equipment undertaken over the past three years. This is a major step forward in the implementation of Project No. 1 of the 2021-2025 Master Plan, which aims to continuously welcome large vessels, reduce the waiting time of ships in port, speed of operations and, by extension, increase productivity.

 

In practical terms, the Cotonou Port Authority has just implemented a major logistical reinforcement which will undoubtedly help to compensate for recurrent failures and other deficiencies observed in the floating gear fleet.

Note that this first tug will soon be joined by the second that will leave Vietnam in late June and reach Cotonou probably towards the end of August. Once the two jewels are on site, they will be baptized in accordance with the relevant practices. The names which will be attributed to them already feed the supputations and rightly arouse the curiosity of all. But we still have to keep the suspense. Nevertheless, the names chosen are drawn from the authentic history of the bravery of the members of the Beninese people and reflect to sufficiency the greatness and power of the two engines.