Vicente Boluda Receives the Gold Medal of the City of Bruges

Vicente Boluda Fos, accompanied by his son Ignacio Boluda Ceballos, received the Gold Medal of the city of Bruges, the highest distinction awarded by the Belgian council, from the hands of its mayor, Dirk de Fauw. The reception took place in the historic building that houses the Town Hall, one of the oldest in Belgium and a beautiful example of Gothic style.

This award adds to the long list of international recognitions held by the President of Boluda Towage, including the Knight's Medal of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic, the title of Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Panama for Maritime Affairs, and the Honorary Mayor of the Fourth Rescue Company of the Panama Fire Department, among others.

During the event, scale models of the tugboats “VB Rumba” and “VB Bolero,” state-of-the-art and high-performance vessels operating in the Belgian port that meet the latest Tier-III environmental emission standards, were presented to the mayor and the governor.

The extensive experience of Boluda Towage, the world's leading tug operator, was highlighted, having been operating and ensuring safe navigation in the port of Antwerp-Bruges for over sixty years, providing added value and a boost to the economy of the West Flanders region.

The fruitful collaboration between the Belgian port, one of the largest and most active in Europe, and the towing subsidiary of Boluda Maritime Corporation is based on common goals and ambitions. Boluda Towage, like the authorities of the Antwerp-Bruges port, is making significant efforts and investments in new technologies to minimize emissions and achieve carbon neutrality goals by 2050.

Mayor Dirk de Fauw stated, “We are pleased to welcome Mr. Vicente Boluda Fos to the city of Bruges. Since 1960, Boluda Towage has provided reliable towing services to shipping companies calling at the Antwerp-Bruges port. The company has been a pioneer in sustainable projects to make its robust fleet of tugboats more environmentally friendly. Boluda Towage's bold sustainable initiatives fit perfectly with the clean port strategy of Zeebrugge, and the long-term knowledge of the port ensures smooth and safe navigation.”

Boluda Towage's fleet of tugboats is a pioneer in Europe in reducing emissions. The company has developed its own projects to adapt its vessels to the increasingly stringent Tier-III emission standards set by the IMO. Following the success of these adaptations, Boluda Towage is incorporating more newly built, efficient tugboats with high maneuverability and performance into its fleet.

To further reduce its carbon footprint, Boluda Towage, in collaboration with Onboard, has implemented a fuel consumption module in its fleet. Additionally, Boluda Towage is conducting a feasibility study on converting a traditional tugboat into a hydrogen (H2) powered tugboat. A recent milestone is the cooperation between Boluda Towage and Damen Shipyards to start using Damen's electric tugs in our European operations and to jointly build the first methanol-powered tugboat.

The president of Boluda Towage, Vicente Boluda Fos, stated, “I would like to thank both Mayor de Fauw and Governor Decaluwé for their hospitality and warm welcome, as well as the opportunity to share our ambitions. As a global leader in maritime services, we are at the forefront of the maritime sector. We are constantly updating our methodologies towards an innovative environment.”

“The most important goal for our towing sector is to achieve the EU's 'Fit for 55' agreement, through which Europe aims to become the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050, reducing emissions, including greenhouse gases, by 55% by 2030. Our goal is and will continue to be to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable towing services, and to be a reliable partner for all our business partners.”

One of the central axes of Boluda's maritime services is the provision of emergency response and maritime salvage services.

Carl Decaluwé, governor of West Flanders and president of the Belgian Coast Guard, emphasized that “the port of Antwerp-Bruges is the economic engine of Flanders. Companies like Boluda Towage demonstrate their commitment to making that engine sustainable and efficient. Moreover, the structured use of the North Sea is an important fact for West Flanders, as it is located on a heavily trafficked shipping route and in an intensively exploited maritime area. Cooperation with North Sea neighbors is an important element in this regard, and Boluda Towage's international contribution to this network adds value.”

Photos: provided