Towage is the use of tugboats to assist a vessel’s movement — ranging from routine harbor assistance during berthing to towing a vessel or barge across open ocean.
Harbor Towage
The most common form — tugs assisting a vessel’s approach, berthing, unberthing, or turning within a port, particularly for larger vessels with limited maneuverability in confined waters, or in challenging wind/current conditions. Tugs may push, pull, or simply stand by ready to assist, depending on the specific maneuver and the Master/pilot’s assessment of what’s needed.
Ocean Towage
Towing a vessel (disabled, or one incapable of self-propulsion such as a barge) over long distances at sea — a specialized operation requiring different equipment, planning, and risk management than routine harbor towage, given the much longer duration and greater exposure to weather.
Towage vs Salvage: A Genuine Legal Distinction
This distinction matters commercially and legally:
- Towage — a routine, contracted commercial service; the towed vessel is not in danger, simply requiring assistance with normal maneuvering or transport
- Salvage — specifically involves rescuing a vessel genuinely in danger; governed by different legal principles (including the “no cure, no pay” reward structure), since salvage involves real risk to the salvor and a genuinely endangered vessel
A vessel that hires a tug for routine berthing assistance is engaged in towage; a vessel disabled and drifting toward danger, assisted by a passing vessel or dedicated salvage tug, is a salvage situation — the legal and commercial frameworks differ substantially.
Towage Contracts and Liability
Standard towage contracts (such as the widely used “Towhire” or similar industry-standard forms) allocate risk and liability between the tug and the towed vessel in specific, negotiated ways — genuinely different from the open-ended salvage reward structure, and worth understanding for any officer involved in arranging or overseeing towage operations.
Tug Communication During Towage
Effective towage requires clear, continuous communication between the vessel’s bridge and the tug — particularly regarding intended maneuvers, towline tension, and any changes to the plan — since miscommunication during towage operations has been a real, documented cause of incidents.
Exam Relevance
Towage types, and particularly the legal distinction between towage and salvage, are core Ship Knowledge topics in senior deck officer competency exams.