The British Tugowners Association (BTA) was delighted to sign a new collaborative agreement with Polestar Publishing at Seawork on 11 June. The agreement formalises a publishing partnership between the BTA and Polestar Publishing, strengthening a successful collaboration that has played a key role in the development and dissemination of industry guidance across the towage sector.
Signed between Wencke Boerrigter, Polestar Publishing Founder and Robert Merrylees, Chamber of Shipping Policy Director and BTA Secretary, the agreement reflects the shared commitment of both organisations to enhancing safety, operational excellence, and professional development within the towing industry. It also formalises a longstanding working relationship that has resulted in the publication of several important industry-led guidance documents.
Cooperation between the BTA and Polestar has already seen the release of several safety guidance documents including Gog Rope Industry Advice, the second edition of the BTA Guide to Rope Selection, Procurement & Usage, and A BTA Guide: Use of Tugs in Firefighting. Together, these resources have helped promote best practice and improve knowledge sharing across the sector.
Under the partnership, the BTA and Polestar Publishing will continue to collaborate on the development and publication of accessible, high-quality technical guidance, ensuring that industry expertise and practical operational experience remain readily available to the UK and international towage industry.
A key element of the agreement is the creation of a structured pathway for transforming BTA guidance into digital learning resources. As part of this arrangement, Polestar Publishing has been granted rights to develop e-learning courses based on BTA publications, creating new opportunities to support training, competence development, and knowledge transfer across the global towage community.
The partnership represents a significant step in expanding the reach and impact of BTA guidance, helping to ensure that critical industry knowledge is accessible to current and future generations of towage professionals.
The BTA offers sincere thanks to Marine Plant Hire for use of their Multicat, Tom Scruby, for the official signing of the partnership, which was formally introduced into service at Seawork.
