SAAM Towage Taps Markey for Winch Retrofit Project

Markey Machine won a first-ever contract from SAAM Towage to retrofit the controls on a Timberland towing winch aboard the Point Valiant, a tug based in Vancouver, B.C.

SAAM first outlined the project to Markey last May, then hired Sentinel Survey, Markey’s after-market service division, to undertake on-site inspection of the winch. Following inspection, Markey offered its Class I winch-control package, and SAAM responded with an order near the end of December. The winch controls package will be provided in mid-2024.

“Markey’s achievements in workboat winches are widely known, and especially in the sphere of winch control,” noted Pablo Caceres, Engineering and Development Director at SAAM Towage. “We considered use of the original OEM’s controls but wanted to see Markey’s technology in action for ourselves. We’ve sharpened our focus on future supportability and reliability factors, especially with this year’s fleet expansion,” he added, a reference to SAAM’s core focus on safety and reliability, as well as acquisition of 21 tugs from Brazil’s STARNAV in 2023.

SAAM has two business segments, SAAM Towage and AEROSAN, employing over 4,000 people in 13 countries. With over 210 tugs based at over 90 ports, SAAM Towage is the largest operator of tugs in the Americas. SAAM, headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is listed on Chile’s Santiago Exchange and is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Chile and DJSI MILA.

Markey’s CEO Blaine Dempke, said, “We’ve met so many milestones recently, and winning SAAM’s business was an uppermost objective. We are honored by this vote of confidence from Pablo Caceres and the rest of the SAAM Team. We are excited to have gained a new partner in South America.”

Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Point Valiant was built by Ocean Industries Inc. of Quebec in the late 1990s. The 24.4-meter tug is powered by twin 2,038bhp Mitsubishi S16R-MPTA main engines and has a bollard pull of 45 tonnes.