Commissioned by Boskalis, the transportation over 245 nautical miles between the ports of Mazatlán in Sinaloa and La Paz in Baja California Sur was carried out this month.
The day after arriving at the port of La Paz, the two tugboats loaded the two dredgers on board the TRANSSHELF
Part of Boluda Towage and Salvage’s Mexico division, Compañía Marítima del Pacífico was selected by Netherlands company Boskalis – world leader in marine dredging – to transport two trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs), the CORK SAND and LONG SAND, through the Pacific Ocean from the port of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, to the port of La Paz in Baja California Sur. This maneuver represented an interesting departure from the usual for Boluda Corporación Marítima tugboats.
The operation was carried out successfully this August by tugs VB CONTADORA and VB BRIOSO, who traveled a distance of 245 nautical miles between the ports of Mazatlan and La Paz, located on the west coast of Mexico.
Once both dredgers arrived at the port of La Paz, the two tugs proceeded to load them onto a specialized semi-submersible vessel from Panama, the Dockwise vessel the TRANSSHELF, in an operation in the Fondeadero area of La Paz.
The TSHDs were both loaded on the ship’s starboard side, first the CORK SAND and then the LONG SAND, assisted by the VB COUNADORA at the starboard stern and the VB BRIOSO at the starboard bow.
After the operation, praised by Tatiana Martins of Boskalis and Captain Zigmunds Korsenevskis of Dockwise for the efficient and professional towing and loading of the dredgers, they were transported by the TRANSSHELF to their next dredging operation.
Part of a fleet providing services in the Mexican Pacific, the two Boluda Mexico tugboats had previously been inspected and approved by technical experts from London Offshore Consultants.
Based in the port of Mazatlan, the tug VB COUNADORA has a 63-ton bollard pull and runs on 5,000 HP, while the VB BRIOSO, based in the port of Guaymas, is equipped with Voith Shneider cycloidal propulsion, with a 38-ton bollard pull and 3,200 HP engine.
Through its subsidiary towing companies in Mexico Boluda Corporación Marítima manages towage services in the ports of Costa Azul, Ensenada, Mazatlan, Guaymas, Tampico, Salina Cruz, Manzanillo, Altamira and Coatzacoalcos, employing a total of 31 tugs.
As well as being the second largest port operator worldwide, Boluda Towage & Salvage is currently towage sector leader in Mexico.
