UK Tug Operator Extends Turkish Built Fleet

By purchasing a brand new tug from Sanmar Shipyards, U.K. operator SMS Towage has taken delivery of its seventh ASD tug built by the Turkish tug builder. The new tug is named Superman, continuing an established pattern – the previous six Sanmar built tugs in the SMS fleet are called Statesman, Scotsman, Yorkshireman, Masterman, Englishman and Merchantman.

The new tug is of the Sanmar exclusive Robert Allan Ltd RAmparts 2400 SX design, designated by the builder as the Bogacay series. According to the builder, this has proved a highly popular model, Superman being the 27th of this design ever built, and based on the similar Ulupinar series but with increased beam for enhanced stability and greater power for more bollard pull.

Measuring 24.4m x 11.25m, Bogacay Series tugs are available with a variety of Caterpillar engine and Rolls-Royce Z-drive options to give bollard pulls ahead of up to 75 metric tons. This latest delivery is equipped with a pair of 2,000hp main engines to give approximately 70 metric tons of bollard pull. In addition Superman is fitted with external fire-fighting equipment to Fi-Fi 1 notation with a dedicated Caterpillar diesel powering the pumps.

Cem Seven, Sanmar’s managing director, said, “We are proud to deliver the 7th vessel to SMS. Highly respected companies such as SMS regularly come back to Sanmar for state-of-the-art tugs proving that they respect our quality standards and appreciate the performance of our products. We intend to continue building good relationships with our customers, old and new.”