New tugs have been delivered to operators in Turkey, China, Egypt, and Timor-Leste. Some even have built-in firefighting capability in addition to the usual towing, ship handling, and escort capabilities.
Perhaps not surprisingly, four of the six tugs featured this week were designed by the same well-known naval architecture firm based in Canada.
Turkey's Safi Maritime takes delivery of locally-built ship handling and firefighting tug
Sanmar Shipyards of Turkey has delivered a new tug to local operator Safi Maritime Services.
The Robert Allan Ltd-designed Safi-14 will be used for both ship handling and general towing duties.
The newbuild measures 25.3 by 12 metres and also has firefighting capability. Two Caterpillar 3516C 2,100kW diesel engines deliver a bollard pull of 74 tonnes.
Safi-14 is the fifth Sanmar-built tug to be delivered to Safi Maritime Services.
Chinese port operator welcomes two new tugs to fleet
Rizhao Kingda Shipbuilding Heavy Industry of China has handed over two new ASD tugs in a series to Ri Zhao Port in Shandong on the country's Yellow Sea coast.
Ri Gang Tuo 1 and Ri Gang Tuo 2 each have an LOA of 34.3 metres, a moulded beam of 11.2 metres, a maximum draught of 4.61 metres, and foam firefighting monitors.
Power is provided by two Niigata 6L28HX 1,838kW diesels connected to Kongsberg Z-drive fixed-pitch propellers. This configuration can deliver a bollard pull of 64.3 tonnes and a free running speed of just over 14 knots.
The tugs were both designed by Robert allan Ltd.
Vietnamese-built ASD tugs to support Boluda's Timor-Leste operations
Piriou Vietnam has completed the construction of two ASD tugs to be operated in Timor-Leste by the local branch of Boluda France.
VB Likurai and VB Fado each have a length of 30.3 metres a moulded beam of 10.4 metres, a maximum draught of five metres, and a bollard pull in excess of 45 tonnes. Accommodations are available for six crewmembers.
The tugs will be capable of "push/pull" towage and will be used for both harbour and deep-sea operations.
Svitzer's newest tug to be deployed for Suez Canal towage duties
Svitzer has taken delivery of the first of two tugs ordered from Turkish builder Med Marine in February of this year.
The Robert Allan Ltd-designed, 28- by 13-metre tug has a bollard pull of 75 tonnes and a speed of approximately 12 knots. Duties will include escort and firefighting in Suez Canal waters.
The second tug in the order is scheduled for delivery by the end of May 2022.