Turkish boatbuilders Med Marine and Sanmar have recently delivered brand new tugboats to overseas clients, based on designs provided by Canadian naval architect Robert Allan Limited (RAL).
Med Marine delivered the 28m x 13m Celtic Treaty to ship’s agency services provider Irish Mainport in the first week of May. The vessel will be operated by Celtic Tugs in Foynes, in County Limerick, Ireland, and is an example of RAL’s RAstar 2800 tug series, featuring a depth of 5.1m, a 5.7m draught and accommodation for eight workers. The newbuild’s gross tonnage was restricted to less than 500tonnes.
Twin CAT 3512C main engines – each rated 1,500kW at 1,600rpm, and certified to IMO Tier III emissions standards – drive Schottel SRP 360 rudderpropellers with diameters of 2.1m. Celtic Treaty has a bollard pull in excess of 50tonnes and can achieve a speed of 12.5knots. The tug also incorporates a Schottel SRP 360 azimuthing stern drive and a 2.1m-diameter propeller.
Meanwhile, Sanmar has delivered the first of three electric harbour tugs, HaiSea Wamis (pictured), to Canadian operator HaiSea Marine. Built to the specs of RAL’s ElectRA 2800SX series, HaiSea Wamis – reportedly the first electric tug to be exported from Turkey – measures 28.4m x 13m and has a moulded depth of 5.6m. A 6,000kWh battery storage system ensures that the tug (and its forthcoming sisters, HaiSea Wee’Git and HaiSea Brave) will be able to conduct all ship berthing/unberthing tasks in pure-electric mode, with a bollard pull rating of 70tonnes.
HaiSea Marine will deploy the tugs at LNG Canada’s new liquefaction, storage and loading facility in Kitimat, BC. Sanmar says: “With ample clean hydroelectric power available in Kitimat, the harbour tugs will recharge from dedicated shore-charging facilities at their berths between jobs, effectively resulting in them achieving the sustainability dream of zero emissions.”
