Svitzer Chooses Cat Power for Harbor Tugboats

 

To power four new harbor tugboats under construction in Brazil, global towage and emergency response provider Svitzer turned to Caterpillar — purchasing eight Cat 3516C marine propulsion engines and eight C4.4 generator sets.
 
Part of the Maersk Group, the world’s largest container shipping company, Svitzer operates a fleet of more than 430 vessels globally. Earlier in 2015, the company acquired a controlling stake in Brazilian harbor towage company Transmar Servicos Maritimos—now known as Svitzer Brazil. The new harbor tugs will join an existing fleet operating along the Brazilian coast.
 
“Svitzer is a long-time Cat customer, with many vessels powered by Cat engines,” said Rodrigo Feria, marine sales manager for Sotreq, the Cat dealer that led sales efforts on the project. “They turned to Caterpillar and Sotreq because of our previous strong relationship with Transmar Servicos Maritimos, our product support capability and our experience working with the shipyard.”
 
“Securing the main engines and propulsion for our Brazil vessels are an important step in growing our presence in Brazil,” Martin Helweg, Managing Director for Svitzer Americas noted. “With Caterpillar we have a high quality provider with good aftersales services, which is important to us as the leading towage provider in the world.” 
 
The four 60-ton bollard pull tugs are being built at INACE shipyard in Fortaleza, Ceará. The first engines will be delivered in February 2016, and the tugs are expected to be operational in 2017.
 
Each vessel will be powered by two 3516C marine propulsion engines, delivering 2500 hp @ 1600 rpm apiece. Designed to meet IMO II regulations without any additional aftertreatment, 3516C engines provide efficient operation with electronic governing, cold mode start strategy and programmable low idle to minimize fuel consumption. In addition, each tug will feature two C4.4 generator sets for on-board power generation.