Svitzer Orders Two Icebreaking Tugs
Global towage operator Svitzer said it has signed a new deal with Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine for two new 30-meter ice class tugs expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. The vessels will join Svitzer’s 30-strong fleet of towage vessels in Scandinavia and Germany
The tugs have been custom designed to fit Svitzer’s requirements across its Scandinavian operations. The new TundRA 3000 designs were created by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd and have Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A status, giving them icebreaking capabilities. The vessels will use azimuth stern drive (ASD) to generate an all directional propulsion force, with a minimum bollard pull of 60 tons.
The vessels will also be installed with an innovative ultrasonic anti-fouling system on its box coolers and the hull, eliminating the need for antifouling paints, helping to reduce the vessels’ impact on the local environment. Additionally, the main engine rooms have been future proofed for impending MARPOL Tier III NOx regulations and will be prepared for selective catalytic reduction technologies.
The new tugs will replace icebreaking tugs Svitzer Helios and Svitzer Dynan, two of Svitzer’s oldest vessels with a combined 90 years of service. Both Helios and Dynan currently have a bollard pull below 40 tons, making the new designs a considerable upgrade on the older vessels.
Once delivered, the vessels will operate across Scandinavia, predominantly serving ports in Denmark and Sweden. The vessels have also been built to be able to navigate the locks in the Swedish city of Trollhättan, enabling icebreaking on the river as well as in lake Vänern.