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Newbuilds raise Middle Eastern harbour towage capabilities
Towage assets in Middle Eastern ports were enhanced in H2 2025 with several newbuild tugs added for ship escort, manoeuvring and docking
Owners are investing in newbuild tugs as terminals in the Middle East are being expanded and port operators prepare for increased trade and larger vessels calling into harbours.
In Bahrain, Svitzer added two 25-m azimuth tractor tugs, built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey, to its fleet supporting ships calling at APM Terminals facilities.
Initially built as Delicay XVI and Delicay XVII, they were renamed Svitzer Manama and Svitzer Awal by the Danish owner. Built for handling and towing container ships in harbours such as Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), which is operated by APM, they have a FiFi1 off-ship firefighting system for emergency support.
“With these new additions, we enhance our capability to manage larger vessels and parallel movements at KBSP,” said Svitzer manager for Bahrain, Ahmad Hamdy.
Svitzer Manama and Svitzer Awal were constructed to Robert Allan Ltd’s TRAktor-Z 2500SX design with a moulded beam of 12 m, a least-moulded depth of around 5 m, and an extreme draught of nearly 7 m.
Both tugs are capable of 80 tonnes of bollard pull and have a free-running speed of 12 knots, due to two main diesel high-speed engines driving two Z-drive azimuth thrusters.
“This marks a significant milestone in our shared journey, underscored by a US$30M investment in new tugs,” said APM Terminals Bahrain managing director Matthew Luckhurst.
“The new tugs strengthen our joint ability to serve customers safely and efficiently while supporting Bahrain’s strategic growth as a gateway for trade and logistics.”
Sanmar said the hullform and appendage configuration were model tested, while computational fluid dynamics optimised the designs to ensure the tugs are highly controllable and manoeuvrable.
Also in Bahrain, Noatum Maritime Marine Services was selected by Bapco Upstream to provide marine services at an LNG terminal for five years.
The subsidiary of AD Ports Group’s maritime and shipping cluster will support gas carriers berthing at the offshore LNG import terminal near Khalifa Bin Salman Port.
Noatum will provide towage operations using LNG-compliant tugboats; berth and undock LNG carriers and floating storage units; provide 24/7 emergency response and standby support; and ship pilotage.
In Syria, P&O Maritime Services brought a Turkish newbuild harbour tug into Tartus Port, after parent group DP World commenced operations at the harbour under a 30-year concession.
DP World welcomed Al Fath into service after it took over operations from the Syrian General Authority for Land and Sea Ports.
The Dubai, UAE-headquartered group intends to spend US$800M to transform the harbour into an international logistics hub.
Al Fath was built by Sanmar Shipyards as a Sirapinar-class tug to a RAmparts 2200 design with an overall length of 22 m, a beam of 11 m, a moulded depth of 4 m, a navigational draught of 5 m and a machinery automation system.
It is powered by a pair of Caterpillar main engines coupled to twin Schottel Z-drives, generating a bollard pull of 50 tonnes, and has a free running speed of 12 knots.
DP World is assessing Tartus Port’s infrastructure, including equipment, quay readiness and yard and warehouse facilities, and plans to dredge port access channels, basins and berths to achieve optimal design depths for deep-draught ships.
In Saudi Arabia, Zamil Group’s 2024-established Western Coast Port Services has been assembling a fleet of azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs built by Damen Shipyards in China.
Five 28-m tugs – Sahel 281, Sahel 282, Sahel 283, Sahel 284 and Sahel 285 – entered service in Jeddah Islamic Port during Q2 and Q3 2025.
They have a beam of 13 m, a crane on the aft deck, a bollard pull of up to 83 tonnes, supported by 5,050-kW of installed power coming from two high-speed, diesel, four-stroke engines driving two azimuth thrusters, and have D-shaped fendering on the bow and stern. Two more ASD tugs have been ordered from Damen by the owner.
The 28th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in association with Caterpillar, 19-21 May 2026. Use this link for more details of this industry event and the associated social and networking opportunities.
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