A South African operator welcomes new harbour tugs into service as construction begins on vessels ordered by a Tunisian government agency. Orders have meanwhile been placed for a methanol-powered tug for operation in one of Sweden's major ports, an electric pusher tug for a Dutch transport company, and terminal support tugs for an LNG export project in the United States.
Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine has cut the first steel for the construction of six new ASD tugs ordered by Tunisia's Office of the Merchant Marine and Ports (OMMP).
The tugs will all utilise a design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. Each vessel will have a length of 28 metres and a bollard pull of 60 tonnes.
The newbuilding contract between OMMP and Med Marine was signed in November 2023.
South Africa's Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) recently took delivery of two new harbour tugs in a series for operation out of the Port of East London in South Africa's East Cape province.
The tugs have been named Lentswe ("voice") and Kganya ("light"). Each is capable of generating a bollard pull of 60 tonnes.
Five other tugs had also been delivered to TNPA for operation out of the Port of Durban under the same fleet renewal program, which has a total investment value of approximately ZAR1 billion (US$58 million).
Texas operator Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur has placed orders for four new terminal support tugs in a series to support its Port Arthur LNG export facility.
Two of the tugs will be constructed by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Alabama, while the other two will be built by Sterling Shipyard in Port Neches, Texas. All four tugs will utilise a design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.
Danish towage company Svitzer has awarded a contract for the construction of a new battery-methanol escort tug. The vessel will be designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd and will feature a battery supported by dual-fuel methanol engines for backup and range extension.
Netherlands-based sand handling and transport specialist ROS has awarded local designer and operator Kotug International a contract for the delivery of a fully electric pusher tug.
The tug will be deployed in combination with barges provided by Jansma Shipping to establish an emission-free sand transport chain between the Maasvlakte and Rotterdam. The tug, in combination with barges, will enable seamless, zero-emission transport of sand, from loading at the Maasvlakte to unloading in Rotterdam, with further distribution via electric trucks.