OREANDA-NEWS. November 22, 2011. Odessa Commercial Sea Port (OMTP) plans to scrap the ‘Groza’ tug and the ‘Typhoon’ pilot boat, the state-owned company said.

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine ordered to scrap the harbor vessels due to their depreciation, money-loosing maintenance of the equipment.

The small tug ‘Groza,’ which age now exceeds 50 years, was decommissioned in 2007. Pilot boat ‘Typhoon’ (build date -1985) was not operated for more than 5 years. The vessel is not in demand, because the port does provide anymore pilotage services, while the state-run Delta-Pilot has its own specialized fleet.

In 2009 and early 2010, Odessa port took delivery of two maneuverable towboats from Damen Shipyards Gorinchem. The vessels named “Patriot” and “Bulat” have rated power of 4,050hp.