THE Port of Sunderland has marked the latest stage in its revival by welcoming the first tug boat to take up permanent residence at the site for more than 25 years.  

The Svitzer Constance, a 285 tonne, 30 metre long tractor tug, will help manage the increased volume of the traffic arriving into Sunderland's docks.

Middlesbrough based Svitzer Marine Limited has invested substantially during the vessel’s recent dry-docking to make the vessel suitable to operate in the Port of Sunderland which has seen an 84 per cent increase in traffic since 2010.

David Williams, Svitzer Marine’s port manager for the North-East, said: “Over the past year we’ve seen Port of Sunderland really come to life and we now recognise the location as a viable base from which to operate our towing services on a permanent basis.

“We have invested significantly to get Svitzer Constance up to scratch and have every confidence that the business being generated by the port will produce a significant return on investment.  We see this as the start of a mutually beneficial relationship between Svitzer Marine and Port of Sunderland, and one which sees our investment being ploughed back into the regional economy."

Matthew Hunt, director of Port of Sunderland, said: “We have previously had to utilise tug boats based at other regional ports which can take up to two hours to travel here, however this move will enable us to manage our current traffic more efficiently, ensuring we’re well-equipped for future growth.”