Smit Tugs

While attending the International Tug & Salvage Conference in Vancouver May 18-21, I was able to see several tugs in action.

There are now two primary operators in the port, Seaspan and Smit. Smit took over RivTow, which was an amalgamation of several smaller operators. RivTow also owned Westminster, which was primarily active on the Fraser River, but its tugs now work in the main port (Burrard inlet) too.

Tiger Sun was a Westminster tug, and with over 5,000 bhp is extraordinarily powerful for its size. Smit Mississippi was brought to Canada from the Netherlands and is a typical Damen built ASD.

They are shown here putting on a show for guests at a reception sponsored by Smit.