Tugboats News

Shipping and logistics firm Wilson Sons has opened new facilities at its Training Centre and Towage Operations Centre in Santos, São Paulo, including a tugboat manoeuvre simulator designed to improve operating safety, efficiency and sustainability.This simulator will train the company's captains and maritime workers on safety procedures and cutting-edge technology for its fleet of over 80 tugboats, which operate in more than 25 ports along the Brazilian coast, supporting domestic and international trade…

While political winds in the U.S. have significantly tampered many ‘green’ projects, Curtin Maritime is domiciled in California, which is globally known for its strict environmental initiatives. To that end, Curtin Maritime inked a contract recently to invest $160m for eight new hybrid-electric tugboats, vessels being built by Snow & Co. and featuring vertically integrated electric powertrains from Arc with Schottel propulsion. Maritime Reporter TV interviewed Martin Curtin, CEO…

The William E Moran, the first vessel in Moran's next-generation class, recently entered service in New York. Purpose-built, the next-gen tugs will be among the largest in the Moran fleet.Built by Master Boat Builders in Coden, Alabama and designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the William E Moran belongs to the RApport 2800 series. This modern ASD Tractor tug is engineered for high-performance escort and ship assist operations. Measuring 92 feet in length with a 40-foot beam, the vessel delivers over 80 metric tons of bollard pull.

The Panama Canal has incorporated two new 27-meter tugboats into its fleet.The vessels will assist ships during lock entry and exit maneuvers, as well as during their passage through the Culebra Cut, one of the most demanding sections of the waterway. They are also essential for ensuring safe and efficient transits through the Neopanamax locks where maximum maneuverability and precision are required.The newly incorporated tugboats are Z-Tech 6000 models, which are internationally recognized for their energy efficiency, high operational performance and responsiveness.

The Ras Alhekma terminal support/escort tug has been delivered to the Egyptian Navy in Alexandria, Egypt.The name, Ras Alhekma is a coastal region located on a cape along Egypt’s Mediterranean shoreline.The RAstar 3200-W series tug was recently completed at Alexandria Shipyard and is the first of series of five that are being built in the yard.The RAstar escort series tug features unique sponsoned hull form developed exclusively by Robert Allan Ltd., which has been proven to provide significantly enhanced escort towing and seakeeping performance.

SANMAR has delivered another two Boğaçay Class tugs to Americas’ largest operator SAAM Towage.The tugs are based on the exclusive-to-SANMAR RAmparts 2400SX MK-II design from Canadian Naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, which incorporates the latest in advanced machinery automation for high operational efficiency and minimal environmental impact.The twin Z-drive, diesel-powered vessels can achieve 80 tonnes of bollard pull and are equipped with FiFi 1 firefighting capability.Measuring 24.4m in overall length…

Cheoy Lee Shipyards recently delivered two RAstar 3200-CL tugs bound for Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. CMM Azteca and CMM Mexico will sail on their own bottom all the way from Hong Kong and begin operations in Mexico as part of Compania Maritima Mexicana SA DE CV’s fleet (an affiliate company of Boluda Towage).These two tugs are the latest deliveries in the RAstar 3200-CL series, which Cheoy Lee has been building since 2013. In 12 years Cheoy Lee has built and delivered 29 tugs to this design.Particulars of the RAstar 3200-CL series escort tugs are:Length overall: 32.0 mBeam…

Anti-piracy equipment company Palaemon reports that security threats occurred over the past week in the Singapore Straits, Gulf of Guinea and Red Sea. The incidents include:• 32 pirates used eight boats to attack a tug boat in the Singapore Strait, stealing a large quantity of scrap metal. The crew remained unharmed. The pirates had three boats on the port side, four on the starboard side, and one boat in the rear. Each had 3-4 perpetrators onboard, with14 boarding the barge to steal the metal.• An armed assailants targeted multiple passenger boats on the Bonny River in Nigeria…

Construction is underway of six more emissions-free fully electric ElectRA Series tugboats at Sanmar’s shipyards in Türkiye.Part of a project unveiled in 2021, a total of eight ElectRA tugs have been delivered so far and are now operating in Europe and America.Among those under construction is an ElectRA 2500SX for international operator Svitzer, which is due to be delivered in the second half of 2025, after which it will operate in the waters between Sweden and Denmark.Each ElectRA tug eliminates approximately 1,700 tons of CO2 per annum compared to modern diesel-powered alternatives.

Electrical system integrator Alewijnse is preparing for an increasing number of tugs and workboats being built at Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam. The on-site installation team is being expanded, ready for additional projects as the shipyard plans to increase production to up to eighty fully equipped workboats per year.Vietnam has experienced significant growth in recent years and this trend is set to continue in the coming years, with more and more international companies establishing their production facilities in Vietnam, close to the Chinese border and maritime routes.

Noatum Maritime and The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) marked the operational commencement of their joint venture (JV) to provide integrated marine services in Bahrain, with the arrival of four modern tugs at ASRY’s headquarters.The arrival of the tugs, part of Noatum Maritime’s existing fleet, was celebrated during a ceremony attended by representatives from various ministries, public bodies and leading industrial firms at ASRY’s headquarters in Bahrain.This development follows the announcement of the JV in February 2025…

AAM Towage and Caterpillar Marine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to evaluate and implement alternative power solutions to diesel, including electrification and alternative fuels such as methanol and ethanol, for the tug fleet.Both companies are already working on a dual-fuel engine—the Cat® 3500E—which will use methanol and is expected to begin testing this year.SAAM Towage is active in towage and marine services at more than 90 ports in 13 countries in the Americas.

The world’s first commercial-use ammonia-fueled vessel, Sakigake, has completed a three-month demonstration voyage, achieving a GHG-emission reduction of up to approximately 95%.The vessel was completed by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and IHI Power Systems (IPS) on August 23, 2024, in cooperation with Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) as part of a Green Innovation Fund Project under Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).The development project of this vessel started in October 2021 and completed in August 2024…

Operating one of the world’s largest marine fleets of any kind, it is Svitzer’s local footprint that speaks volumes for its diverse and far-flung workforce and assets. Strengthened by a multi-national team, providing value in more than three dozen countries, Svitzer stands out every day. On 30 April 2024, Svitzer was listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (SVITZR) as a result of the previously announced separation from its former parent company, A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S. Danish national Kasper Karlsen has been Global Chief Operating Officer of the Svitzer Group since December 2022.

A second multi-purpose tugboat has joined her twin sister at Rijeka, Croatia’s principal seaport, part of a two-tug contract with the Italian shipping group Scafi for its Croatian subsidiary Jadranski Pomorski Servis.Known as BOĞAÇAY LXXII while under construction in Turkiye the tug, renamed TITAN by her new owner, is now working alongside fellow Bogacay Series tugboat MORETTO.Both 80-ton bollard pull tugs are based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400SX MKII design from Robert Allan Ltd.Measuring 24.4m LOA…

Bisso Towboat Co., Inc. officially christened the M/V Mr. Brian on December 5, 2024, on the Mississippi River while docked at Woldenburg Riverfront Park at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.The Mr. Brian is a 100’ x 38’ x 13.5’ ASD Tractor Tugboat and was officially christened with a bottle breaking at 5:00 pm followed by a reception at the Audubon Aquarium - River Terrace Room.The Mr. Brian is named after Brian Cyprowski, who is the Bisso Towboat Vice President of Operations and a member of the company's executive team. Brian has been with the company for 37 years.

Svitzer has begun operations in the Port of Itaqui in São Luís, Maranhão, marking another significant milestone in its expansion across Brazil. Over the past nine years, Svitzer has invested more than R$650 million in the country, reflecting its commitment to the Brazilian market and its strategy of delivering safe and reliable marine services to its customers.The Port of Itaqui, located in one of Brazil’s largest port complexes, is a critical logistical hub for the Central-North and Central Brazil corridors.

On December 4th, Tug Malta held a naming ceremony for its latest vessel, a Damen RSD Tug 2513, in Malta. During a celebration attended by the Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela, the vessel was named Med Aldebaran.With more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull at its disposal, the new vessel will add significant strength to the company’s operations in Malta’s Port of Marsaxlokk. The RSD Tug 2513 is a compact, maneuverable vessel combining elements of ASD and tractor tugs to deliver an ‘always bow first’ approach to towage.

Glamox won a contract from Alexandria Shipyard in Egypt to light two new salvage tugs being built for the Suez Canal Authority. The two new tugs will sport Glamox LED floodlights and searchlights, helping to enable the vessels to work around the clock, as well as navigation lights, and indoor lighting. The design specification and equipment for the powerful tugs are provided by Kongsberg Maritime.The 71.6m vessels will be built to Kongsberg’s UT 722 CDT design, and each will be equipped with approximately 780 marine-certified lights from Glamox.

Today, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) completed the formal transfer of the Robinson Bay tugboat to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy during a ceremony at Snell Lock.This celebrated vessel, originally built in 1958, will now serve as a training platform for the Academy’s maritime students, fostering the education of future mariners. At the ceremony, GLS Administrator Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Great Lakes Maritime Academy Superintendent Jerry Achenbach, and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jon Hickey made remarks.

While in New Orleans, Maritime Reporter TV visited with Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) and Diversified Marine to discuss the Electrified Truckable Tug.Hitting tightening maritime emission targets will require innovation and collaboration across the sector, the type of teaming recently announced between Elliott Bay Design Group and Diversified Marine with the introduction of the electrical truckable tug.“This is a great collaboration with Diversified Marine; they had a tug design and they came to us to electrify it,” said Steve Carlson, Principal in Charge, EBDG.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the girting and capsize of tug Biter with the loss of two lives while assisting passenger vessel Hebridean Princess off Greenock, Scotland.At about 1527 on 24 February 2023, the twin screw conventional tug Biter girted and capsized while attached to the stern of the passenger vessel Hebridean Princess, which was making its approach to James Watt Dock.Girting occurs when high athwartships towing forces…

Sanmar has delivered a high-performance, technologically advanced escort tug to long-term client P&O Maritime Logistics.Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar, RAstar 2900SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd and built at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkiye, the tug has been named P&O Gaynde.Measuring 29.4m LOA, with a molded breadth of 13.3m, molded depth of 5.5m and design draft of 5.75m, P&O GAYNDE can achieve a minimum of 80 tonnes of bollard pull ahead and minimum of 75 tonnes astern.