Tugboat News

Robert Allan Ltd. is has announced the signing of a new contract in November 2025 for the design of a TundRA 3100 icebreaking tug for the Port of Skellefteå, Sweden. This latest addition to the TundRA series is specifically engineered for the demanding conditions of Arctic and sub-Arctic ports, offering exceptional capabilities for icebreaking, ship assist, and escort services.With the TundRA 3100, the Port of Skellefteå will benefit from enhanced ice management capabilities, reduced winter downtime, and improved safety for vessels operating in icy waters.

The formerly retired tugboat Polar King is back on the water thanks to the hard work of the Alaska Marine Lines team and many others throughout the Lynden companies. The 50-year-old tugboat was completely overhauled earlier this year and is now back in the fleet and will be towing barges between Seattle, Hawaii, and Western Alaska ports. The 120- by 34-ft. tug was built in 1974 at McDermott Shipyard, one of eight built that year. Four of those vessels ended up towing barges at AML.

Echandia has been selected to supply the battery system for India’s first fully electric tug, to be deployed at Deendayal Port Authority (Kandla Port) as part of the Government of India’s Green Tug Transition Program. The vessel will be equipped with a 4.4 MWh Echandia battery system, enabling zero-emission operation at one of India’s most important port hubs.The battery system is designed for a 15-year lifetime, matching the full duration of the operational agreement between Ripley Group and the Deendayal Port Authority.

In a strategic step to consolidate the country's industrial and export capacity, the ASENAV shipyard and multinational towage services company SAAM signed their first shipbuilding contract.The agreement outlines the manufacturing of a tugboat in Valdivia, designed under the strictest international standards. Construction is expected to take approximately 15 months, with the vessel scheduled to join SAAM's fleet in Canada during the first half of 2027.The vessel, a RAstar 3200W model designed by Robert Allan, will be 32 meters long and have over 80 tons of bollard pull.

Master Boat Builders, Inc. announced the successful launch of the Jill, marking a milestone in its ongoing partnership with Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur, LLC, a joint venture comprised of Bay-Houston Management, LLC; Bay Towing, LLC; Moran Towing Corporation; and Suderman & Young Towing Company. Together, the Gulf LNG partners have more than 400 years of experience in ship assist and towage services. The Jill is the sixth and final vessel in a Rapport 2800 tugboat series designed by Robert Allan Ltd.

Master Boat Builders launched the tugboat Jill, marking a major milestone in its ongoing partnership with Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur, LLC , a joint venture comprised of Bay-Houston Management, LLC; Bay Towing, LLC; Moran Towing Corporation; and Suderman & Young Towing Company. Together, the Gulf LNG partners have more than 400 years of experience in ship assist and towage services. Jill is the sixth and final vessel in a Rapport 2800 tugboat series designed by Robert Allan Ltd.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) launched the first of the four Saltchuk escort tugs.“We are proud to advance this important project for Saltchuk Marine and look forward to continued progress as we move toward delivering these high-quality escort tugs,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. “These four vessels set a new maritime standard that will positively impact the industry by meeting new rigorous environmental requirements.” said Jason Childs, Saltchuk…

The U.S. inland waterways don’t just move cargo — they move people into long-term, well-paid careers. At a time when trucking and rail struggle with shortages, turnover, and burnout, inland waterways operators quietly offer something different: a job you can start without experience, a career you can grow into, and a paycheck that gets better every step of the way.A new study commissioned by the National Waterways Foundation and conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Instituteputs hard numbers behind what operators and mariners have known for decades.25…

Naming and christening ceremonies for two class-leading tugboats built by Sanmar for Italian operator Rimorchitori Napoletani took place in Naples on November 29.GARGANO and PORTOSALVO are both examples of the latest tugboats in the Turkish tug builder's Boğaçay range of ship-handling tugs based on the RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.Boğaçay tugs are continually evolving by taking advantage of the latest technologies and innovations as they become available.

GONDAN signed a contract with Norwegian shipowner Østensjø Rederi to build a state-of-the-art offshore tugboat, which will be the most powerful in its tugboat fleet. Delivery of the vessel, whose operation will be guaranteed by PYMAR, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2028.Measuring 50 x 17 m with a bollard pull of 150 tons, the new tugboat is designed to handle the most demanding offshore operations, combining great thrust capacity, manoeuvrability, and precision, thanks to the DP-2 dynamic positioning system.

After sustaining extensive damage in a December 2024 fire, the tug Lucinda Smith has returned to the water with a fresh start powered by Mitsubishi S12R-Y3MPTAW-3 Tier 3 engines rated at 1260HP @1600RPM each. The repower was completed by Windward Power with support from Laborde Products, giving the rebuilt vessel renewed strength and reliability.Built in 1975 for the U.S. Navy as YTB-140, the Lucinda Smith has sailed under multiple owners and through several repowers across the country. That long history nearly came to an end with the New Bedford fire, but operator Robert B.

After sustaining extensive damage in a December 2024 fire, the tug Lucinda Smith has returned to the water with a fresh start powered by Mitsubishi S12R-Y3MPTAW-3 Tier 3 engines rated at 1260HP @1600RPM each. The repower was completed by Windward Power with support from Laborde Products, giving the rebuilt vessel renewed strength and reliability for her work on the East Coast.Built in 1975 for the U.S. Navy as YTB-140, Lucinda Smith has sailed under multiple owners and through several repowers across the country.

Sanmar Shipyards has delivered its ninth tugboat to global marine services provider P&O Maritime Logistics.P&O took deliver of its first Sanmar-built tugboat in 2013. Since then, Sanmar has delivered eight more tugs that have gone on to serve in ports around the world.The latest vessel has been named AL FATH by its new owners.Based on the RAmparts 2200 design developed by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd., the Sırapınar Class are compact sister vessels to Sanmar’s Boğacay Class tugs.

Dutch towage and salvage company Multraship has welcomed its latest high-performance tug, MULTRATUG 30, built by Sanmar Shipyards.The 80-ton bollard pull vessel will operate with Bourgas Tug Service, Multraship’s Bulgarian subsidiary, boosting the company’s capacity for harbor and offshore towage in the region, while also strengthening its capabilities in salvage and emergency response.The new tug was christened on Friday, November 14, at the Passenger Terminal in Bourgas by Miglena Pendjuroff…

On October 23, Damen Shipyards Group delivered an ASD Tug 2111 to WUZ Port and Maritime Services in the Port of Rotterdam. The vessel Argo is the eighth Damen tug to set sail in the WUZ Port and Maritime Services fleet. The company is growing its fleet in order to support the development of the Port of Gdansk, Poland. As a result of this expansion over the years the company has become Poland’s largest towage company and now operates eighteen vessels and a range of different Damen tug models.The ASD 2111 is one of the latest models in Damen’s Compact Tugs series.

ClassNK has added Japan's first hydrogen-fueled tugboat TEN-OH to its register, which is built by TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd.This vessel was developed and build under the 'Nippon Foundation Zero Emission Ships Project', a grant program by The Nippon Foundation aimed at developing ships with zero CO2 emissions.Based on discussions among the parties involved during the planning stage of the vessel, ClassNK reviewed the safety requirements and countermeasures for hydrogen-fueled…

Tsuneishi Shipbuilding has delivered Ten-Oh, Japan’s first tugboat equipped with a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine.The 38-meter tugboat is equipped with a BeHydro high-output hydrogen dual-fuel engine and a high-pressure hydrogen gas storage system with large-capacity and supply system, supplied by JPNH2YDRO — a joint venture between Tsuneishi Group and CMB.TECH.The vessel was developed and built under The Nippon Foundation’s Zero Emission Ships Project which aims…

The Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau (TVIB) announced that Rio Marine, Inc. has become the first maritime services provider to achieve certification under the American Waterways Operators’ (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program (RCP).The RCP is a safety management system for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry that sets standards for safety, environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement. To earn certification, companies undergo a third-party audit evaluating policies, procedures, employee practices, and operational performance.Capt. David A. Foret Jr.

Sanmar Shipyards celebrated the delivery of the RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design tug UT PATZCUARO to Americas operator Ultratug at a ceremony held at its Altinova Shipyard on October 6, 2025, following the completion of closing in Tuzla earlier the same day. The delivery marks the first tugboat built by Sanmar for Ultratug.The ceremony was attended by Cem Seven, Chairman, Ali Gürün, Vice Chairman & CEO, with members of Sanmar’s management and employees. From Ultratug, the delegation included Jan Vermeij…

Sanmar Shipyards, a leader in the construction of specialized tugboats, has announced the successful delivery of one of its Boğaçay Class tugboats to long-termreturning Italian customer, Rimorchitori Napoletani.The vessel, originally named BOĞAÇAY LXXX, was renamed GARGANO by its new owners. It is a diesel-powered multi-purpose tug designed for demanding operations, including ship-handling, coastal towing, escort, and general duties.Built at Sanmar’s shipyard in Türkiye, the tug is based on the RAmparts 2400SXMKII design…

Sanmar Shipyards latest tugboat, built for Ultratug, has successfully completed a comprehensive program of sea trials in Tuzla, Turkiye.Known during construction as Boğaçay LXXIX, the tug is based on the RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd., a model exclusive to Sanmar. The design has been tailored to meet the demanding operational needs of Ultratug.The trial results were witnessed by representatives from Ultratug, Sanmar, and classification and quality teams.

A tugboat that sank at the Bremerton Marina in Seattle continues to leak oil.The Dominion, a 130-foot tugboat, which sank around 4 p.m., Wednesday, was reported to contain an unknown amount of diesel fuel and about 200 gallons of lube oil when it sank.Containment boom and absorbent pads were quickly placed around the vessel. Supplemental boom was deployed to collect the pollution as tides shifted. Vacuum trucks and skimmers were also deployed to collect recoverable product.Additionally…

Portland Port in Dorset, UK celebrated the twin christening of two new vessels. Dignitaries and guests watched the christening of the Wyke Castle tug and the Silverwell pilot boat on the Dorset port’s Dock Jetty before an demonstration of the vessels’ capabilities.The multi-million-pound investment in the new boats for Portland Harbor Authority comes as the port continues to grow. It follows the opening of a USD$35.4m (£26m) new deepwater berth in 2023.Portland Port chairman Christopher Langham was joined for the naming ceremony by the Naval Regional Commander for Wales…