URS extended its activities beyond its traditional towing and salvage role on the Scheldt when it participated, from the very beginning, in the development of the North Sea oil fields, starting with the "Groningen field" in the late fifties, followed by the "Ekofisk" and "Forties" fields. A large fleet of oceangoing tugs was built, and brought into a joint venture with two important Canadian and US tug operators. Since then, URS has built up a worldwide reputation providing services to the offshore development industry, especially in the field of anchor handling. Since those initial days the fleet has been constantly updated and is now based on the powerful and high manoeuvrable tugs of the "ASD", "Voith Schneider" and "Combi" types. 
Throughout its long history, URS has maintained its position as the leading operator on the Scheldt by taking over other companies in the Scheldt area, including "Willem Muller" and "Scheldt Towage Company". However just as there is a constant need to update the fleet to stay ahead in the level and quality of technical services, there is also a need to update the commercial structure of the company to meet modern competitive demands. The last decade has seen many such changes including globalisation, the Port Directives of the European Union and the economic pressures on ship owners. URS responded by completely re-organising its own commercial structures and today’s organisation, matched to our modern fleet, enables us to continue to provide our customers with the all round service demanded by the conditions to be faced in the years ahead. |
