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The world’s leading tug operator, Svitzer, has ordered five new ASD tugs that will provide round-the-clock operational support for vessel movements in Oman. The recent renewal of a 15-year contract for Svitzer to deliver a range of marine services to Sohar Industrial Port Company has triggered a requirement for additional tugs, capable of operating to the highest safety standards, and of handling larger, new generation vessels.
To provide these tugs, Svitzer has returned to Sanmar, one of the world’s leading tug building specialist shipyards. The Turkish company will deliver three RAstar 2900 SX type and two RAmparts 2200 type tugs, with a bollard pull rating of 50 tonnes, as well as three 80 tonnes bollard pull Bigacay class aizmuthing stern drive (ASD) tugs.
Significant attention has been paid to maximising crew safety and comfort, minimising noise vibration, and reducing the overall environmental impact of the vessels. With dimensions of 29.40m x 13.30m, the Bigacay type tug is the result of close cooperation between Robert Allan Ltd and Sanmar. A variant of the popular RAstar range, the Bigacay series has been developed to give a high level of performance while still remaining relatively compact.
These tugs will be equipped for operations over both the bow and stern. They will be fitted with a powerful escort winch forward for escorting and ship-handling operations, and a tow-hook aft for emergency towing. Ali Gürün, Project Director, at Sanmar said “We have worked very closely with the client and designer to customise and optimise these tugs so that Svitzer could fulfil the tender requirements with economical solutions. The key parameters of the contract include state-of-the-art design, high build quality and a very tight delivery schedule.”
