Towage

Towage is the service of providing tugs to assist, tow, or escort ships, split into harbor towage (berthing, unberthing, and turning ships inside a port) and ocean or coastal towage (towing a barge, rig, or disabled ship on passage). Harbor towage uses azimuth-stern-drive and tractor tugs rated by bollard pull, the static line pull, with the number and size of tugs set by the port’s towage requirement against ship size, wind, and current. Towage is contracted under standard terms such as the UK Standard Towage Conditions or BIMCO TOWCON and TOWHIRE for ocean tows, which allocate liability between tug and tow. Escort towage adds steering and braking force to a laden tanker in a confined approach.