Tug News Roundup | November 6 – US river pusher, Greek newbuilds and more
A Turkish builder has completed deliveries to two separate operators in Greece, a US inland shipping specialist expands its pushboat fleet, and a Dutch owner christens its newest vessel. Orders include three tugs for use in Brazil's coastal waters as an Indian class society joins a project to develop low-emission vessels. Finally, a Russian emergency services agency deploys its two newest response platforms at one of the country's busiest ports.
Suderman and Young receives US federal funding for electric tug construction
Houston-based towage operator Suderman and Young has confirmed its selection as a sub-recipient of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Ports Program to construct a zero-emission, battery electric tug to be used in the Port of Corpus Christi.
The tug will have a bollard pull of 100 tonnes, enabling it to assist some of the largest tankers in operation today. The 8,500kW battery pack can be charged to full capacity in as little as three hours, and a single full charge will allow the tug to perform up to three ship assist jobs.
Escort and firefighting tug delivered to Greek towage operator
Turkish builder Med Marine has handed over a new escort tug to Igmar, a company under Greek towage specialist the Spanopoulos Group.
The 28-metre tug was designed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd to adhere to class Fif1 standards. The deck equipment includes forward and aft winches, and the propulsion delivers a speed of 12 knots and a bollard pull of 75 tonnes.
Accommodation is available for eight crewmembers,
Netherlands' Multraship christens new offshore-capable tug
Netherlands-based Multraship Towage and Salvage formally named its newest ASD tug in a ceremony in Terneuzen on Friday, November 1. Multratug 36 belongs to a series of two tugs ordered by Multraship in June 2023 to perform deep-sea towage and salvage.
Cooper Group welcomes new river pushboat to Louisiana fleet
US towage operator the Cooper Group of Companies took delivery of a new inland pushboat from shipbuilder Blakeley BoatWorks of Mobile, Alabama, on Thursday, October 31.
Claire Ellen will be owned by Cooper subsidiary Cooper Marine and will be operated primarily in Louisiana. The newbuild is a near-identical sister vessel of Green Wave, which was handed over by Blakeley BoatWorks in 2022.
Brazil's Wilson Sons to acquire three additional tugs starting in 2025
Brazilian towage company Wilson Sons recently confirmed its plans to expand its fleet through the acquisition of three new ASD tugs to be completed by its own shipbuilding arm in Guaruja in Sao Paulo state.
The tugs will each have a length of 23 metres, a beam of 12 metres, and IMO Tier III engines that will deliver a bollard pull of 70 tonnes. This will enable them to support berthing and unberthing of large container vessels up to 366 metres long.
Indian Register of Shipping joins project to design environment-friendly tugs
The Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has joined an international collaboration that seeks to introduce a new series of tugs and other harbour craft fitted with environment-friendly technologies.
IRS said the partnership will entail the development of tugs and harbour crafts, incorporating the latest environment-friendly technologies to meet international standards for sustainability and efficiency. The resulting designs will be reviewed and approved-in-principle by IRS for both local and international shipping requirements.
New harbour tug delivered to Greece's Vernicos Scafi
SVS Maritime, a company under Greek towage provider the Vernicos Scafi Group, has taken delivery of a new harbour tug built by Turkish shipyard Med Marine.
SVS I was built by Med Marine to design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.
Russian Marine Rescue Service to base two new tugs at Murmansk Port
Russia's Okskaya Shipyard has confirmed that two new rescue tugs in a series ordered by the Russian Marine Rescue Service will be based at the Port of Murmansk following the completion of their final sea trials.
Designed by local naval architecture firm Nordic Engineering, Timan and Tepsey belong to the Project NE025 series of multi-role tugs that will perform duties including towing of non-self-propelled pontoons, salvage, installation and maintenance of buoys, anchor handling, maritime safety patrols, cargo transport, dredging support, oil spill response, and firefighting.
