Shipping Lines - It’s not always the bigger ships that sometimes catch the eye
Mega cruise liners with up to 5000 passengers and crew, massive tankers carrying in excess of 300,000 tons of crude oil or giant container vessels capable of transporting more than 20,000 teus (20-foot equivalent) boxes, tend to take up the attention of the world’s maritime media, writes John Aitken.
Not surprising really when another new ship enters service having emerged from a Far East shipyard powered by lng, hydrogen or some other form of renewable power source
At the other end of the scale there can be quite a bit of general interest, if not in the ship then in the owner’s history. As an example at the port of Montrose recently was the powerful German-owned tugboat Fairplay-38, port of registry Hamburg. Although the vessel itself had reportedly been built in Istanbul by the Gemsan Shipbuilding Industry in 2009, it was the history of the owners which caught my attention – Fairplay Towage Group, although the full name in German is much longer.
She arrived on a Sunday and berthed at the South Quay, although she moved across the South Esk prior to sailing a few days later.
Fairplay Towage Group is involved in the harbour and coastal towage business all over Europe, especially after their merger in 2017 with another Hamburg-based towage company, Bugsier which has been in the towage of ships since 1865.
In 1914 most personnel and vessels were taken up by the German naval authorities for action in World War One. Fairplay founder Richard Borchard apparently acquired a fishing cutter to provide a source of food for his remaining crew members.
Between the wars the company expanded but the founder passed away a relatively young man. His widow took over the running of the company but as she was Jewish the company was appropriated by the Nazi controlled authorities and she emigrated to London. After the war ended the company was returned to the family in 1950. There were 18 ships left at the end of hostilities but three were taken by the Allies as War reparations.
From 1960-73 Fairplay moved into the global towage sector and later into the offshore towage business. On the break-up of the Soviet system in 1990, the company moved across to Rostock. In 1996 six new tugs were ordered from Spain to add to the fleet. In 1998 Fairplay set up in Rotterdam and shortly after entered the ETV market sector around the North Sea/Baltic areas. .
General purpose cargo ships have been a bit scarce on the Montrose waterfront of late. In addition to the specialised project cargo carrier Northern Rock, owned by Hartman Seatrade and registered at the Dutch inland port of Urk, was the Helene B, with a shipment of used oilfield pipes from Floro.
Hartmans have an association with another Dutch company, Amasus Shipping to dominate the small ship transportation of abnormal loads.
The Helene B was built by the Daewoo Mangalia shipyard in Mangalia, Romania and is similar to the Ahlmark Lines “duo” Aspen and Skagern employed in the Swedish Lakes-UK liner service.