Tugboat News

Robert Allan Ltd. has been awarded a contract to design an AmpRA 3600 battery-electric tug for Shandong Port Group – Rizhao Port Towing Company, in China.Two vessels will be constructed at Rizhao Gangda Shipbuilding Heavy Industry and will be the fifth and sixth tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for this owner.Following on the development of the successful battery-electric and hybrid designs operation in Canada, Chile, Norway, The Netherlands, Türkiye, and the US, this new design…

With your first steps as a cadet onto the Maritime Academy campus, your first union dues payment or first line thrown ashore from the tug, you are lectured on the importance of the “Jones Act”. A constant reminder throughout a US Seafarer’s career of commitment, loyalty and support for the legislation. All in the name of National Security, US Job protection and the advancement of the US Flag Merchant Marine. It is a massive and expensive lobbying effort witnessed throughout generations at sea. The effort has been historically successful.

The first electric tugboat in Latin America, which will operate in Chile thanks to an agreement between Enap and SAAM Towage, continues to advance with the latest sea trials and bollard pull testing at the shipyard vicinity in Tuzla Bay, Istanbul.This process inspects compliance with technical specifications and verifies the static behavior and performance of the different systems installed, thus guaranteeing safe operations.The tug, which will operate for Enap, is scheduled to arrive in Chile in the first half of 2025.

AYK Energy was contracted to manufacture and supply the 6MWh battery that will power the world’s first battery-methanol tug, to be built at Uzmar for Svitzer. This is AYK’s first contract with Uzmar. The 6MWh battery-powered tug is planned to be deployed in Gothenburg and provide zero-emission services across a quarter of Svitzer’s operations in the Swedish port. The tug is based on Svitzer’s TRAnsverse tug design and the battery will be supported by dual fuel methanol engines…

Sanmar has signed its first contract of 2025, an order for one of its Boğaçay Series tugboats to Ultratug Mexico, which operates at Lazaro Cardenas Port on Mexico’s Pacific coast.Ultratug, headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is one of the leading operators in the harbor towage, salvage, and offshore industry in the Americas, with over 55 years of experience.Ultratug Mexico has been operating under a long-term contract at Lazaro Cardenas Port since 2017 with a modern and versatile…

A second multi-purpose tugboat has joined her twin sister at Rijeka, Croatia’s principal seaport, part of a two-tug contract with the Italian shipping group Scafi for its Croatian subsidiary Jadranski Pomorski Servis.Known as BOĞAÇAY LXXII while under construction in Turkiye the tug, renamed TITAN by her new owner, is now working alongside fellow Bogacay Series tugboat MORETTO.Both 80-ton bollard pull tugs are based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400SX MKII design from Robert Allan Ltd.Measuring 24.4m LOA…

The more than half decade that has passed since the inception of the subchapter M towboat rule affords an up-close-and-personal look at how it is going. The scorecard is a mixed bag.More than six years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) began inspecting towing vessels for compliance with the new towboat rules; specifically, 46 CFR Subchapter M. It has been a long road to compliance with many starts and stops, and much learning on both sides of the law.Has it been a success? If success is measured by Certificates of Inspection, then yes.

Sanmar ends 2024 strong with the launch of the first fully electric tugboat to operate in Latin America.Ordered by SAAM Towage, the new tug is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2500SX design from naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, and is the eighth fully electric tug Sanmar has built.The tug built for SAAM Towage measures 25.4 x 12.86m with a draft of 5.55m, and with a installed battery capacity 3,616 kWh can achieve a bollard pull ahead of at least 70 tonnes and a speed…

Schottel won an order to supply azimuthing thrusters for four new escort tugs for Seattle-based Saltchuk Marine, the beginning of the renewal of the Saltchuk fleet for operations on the US West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska.To be built by Eastern Shipbuilding, the vessels are a RApport 2600 design by Canadian naval architect Robert Allan and will measure 25.6 x 12.8m with a 5.5-m draft. Accommodation will be provided for eight persons, and they will be operated by Foss Maritime.Each tug will be equipped with two azimuthing Schottel RudderPropellers of the type SRP 510 each.

ClassNK has classed the ammonia-fueled tugboat ‘Sakigake’ completed by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) and IHI Power Systems Co., Ltd. as an ammonia-fueled vessel. This is the world's first ammonia-fueled vessel for commercial use (as of August 23, 2024, according to research by NYK). The NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha will employ the vessel in tugboat operations in Tokyo Bay over a three-month demonstration period.This vessel was a Green Innovation Fund Project initiated…

NYK’s ammonia-fueled tugboat Sakigake is commencing operation in Tokyo Bay.The vessel was the subject of a conversion project undertaken by NYK and IHI Power Systems, in cooperation with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), and will be the world's first ammonia-fueled tugboat in commercial use.It is undertaking a three-month demonstration for NYK Group company Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha.The vessel’s predecessor, the LNG-fueled tugboat of the same name, was completed in August 2015 as the first LNG-fueled vessel in Japan.

Sanmar delivered a tug designed for escort, ship-handling, and towage work to Italy-based operator Rimorchiatori Laziali as part of its on-going expansion outside the Mediterranean.Known as KOCAÇAY IX while under construction in Turkiye, the tug has been renamed Pellegron by its new owners and will operate in the Arabian Gulf.Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 3200SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd., Pellegron measures 32m LOA including fenders, with a 13m breadth…

Today, a 'world first' was unveiled in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges: the Methatug, a tugboat which runs on methanol, part of a 'greening program' for the port's fleet. The project is financed by the European research program Horizon 2020 and is part of the FASTWATER project, which aims to demonstrate the feasibility of methanol as a sustainable fuel for the shipping industry.The 30-m-long tugboat has a traction force of 50 tons and can store 12,000 liters of methanol, enough for two weeks of tug work.

On 8 May 2024, KOTUG Canada Inc., a partnership between KOTUG International B.V. and Horizon Maritime Inc., held a keel laying ceremony for two RAsalvor 4400-DFM dual fuel methanol escort tugs – Robert Allan Ltd. design – to service the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, at Sanmar Shipyards Altinova in Yalova, Turkiye. The first tug is expected to be delivered by mid-2025.The tugboats are reportedly the first of their kind to be powered by methanol and are engineered to provide…

Sanmar Shipyards is delivering a new tug for Targe Towing in Scotland. Known as BIGAÇAY Xl while under construction, the tug was renamed Camperdown by its new owners, and was on its way to its new home port of Aberdeen.Camperdown is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 2900SX from Robert Allan Ltd., primarily intended for demanding escort operations in exposed areas.Measuring 29.4 x 13.3m with a 5.5m molded depth and 5.75m design draft, the tug can achieve a minimum of 85 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and astern.

Dutch shipbuilder Damen has presented the latest vessel in its Compact Tugs product platform – the ASD Tug 1810.Just over 18 meters long, the ASD Tug 1810 is capable of 30 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and 28 tonnes bollard pull astern.Like the other vessels in the range, the ASD Tug 1810 features clutter free decks.The ASD Tug 1810 also boasts the patented Damen Twin Fin skeg. Originally installed on the RSD Tug 2513, the skeg has now become a feature on all Damen's Compact Tugs.According to the company…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group company christened and launched a salvage tug being built for Nippon Salvage Co., Ltd. The ceremony took place at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The vessel, named Koyo Maru, is scheduled for handover to Nippon Salvage in June 2024 following completion of outfitting work and sea trials.Koyo Maru measures 80.6 x 15.5 m with gross tonnage of approximately 3,000.

ABS joined Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Seatech Solutions International and Shift Clean Energy in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop electric tugboats, part of an initiative to achieve India’s goal of becoming the ‘Global Hub for Green Shipbuilding’ by 2030.The proposed E-VOLT 50 tug aims to reduce carbon emissions, improve operational efficiency and set new benchmarks for performance and environmental sustainability in the tugboat industry.GRSE will build the platform based on the design from Seatech, and Shift will provide energy storage solutions.

Svitzer announced the delivery of Svitzer Estelle, the second tug built as part of the company’s ongoing partnership with Uzmar Shipyards, based in Turkey.Svitzer Estelle is a Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar 3200W that will be deployed by Svitzer on the River Thames and the River Medway,bolstering the company’s operations in the busy Port of London. The first tug delivered by Uzmar Shipyards in May 2023, Svitzer Elizabeth, is currently in service in the Port of Liverpool. Svitzer’s partnership with Uzmar Shipyards began with the delivery of two tugs for the company’s fleet in Australia.

A third battery electric tugboat built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye has been delivered to HaiSea Marine,Canada. Haisea Brave is scheduled to work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HaiSea Wamis and HaiSea Wee'Git before all three – along with two Sanmar-built LNG-fuelled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.HaiSea Marine is a joint venture majority owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, that will provide…

Sanmar Shipyards has delivered a compact general purpose Bozçay Class harbor tug to the Seychelles Ports Authority.Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RApport 1900SX design from Canadian naval architects Robet Allan Ltd, Mamelles is a diesel-powered tug designed for maximum efficiency in the performance of ship-handling duties for seagoing ships.Measuring 19.3m LOA with an 8.2m beam and maximum draft of 2.9m, Mamelles has conventional twin screw propulsion with twin nozzles and four rudders providing a bollard pull of 33 tonnes and excellent maneuverability.

Berg Propulsion has been selected to provide control and propulsion technology for what will be one of the largest hybrid tugs ever delivered, after owner Buksér og Berging AS (BuBe) agreed specifications with Turkey’s Uzmar Shipyard for its latest newbuild.Berg has been contracted to provide the full electrical power and control package for the Robert Allan-designed Rampage 4100BB-H tug, which will join BuBe’s North Sea operations in December 2024. Supply will include the electric motors…

Wabtec Corporation and Latin American Channel Partner, Marinsa International, signed a contract to supply the primary power for 10 new hybrid tractor tugboats for the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). Wabtec will deliver two 8L250MDA marine engines for each tugboat.“Wabtec is delighted to power the new hybrid Panama Canal tugs with the 8L250MDA marine engines,” said Tammy Gromacki, Wabtec’s Vice President of Marine, Stationary and Drill. “We are honored, through our partnership with Marinsa…