Profile: SAAM names Chile's first IMO Tier III tugboat

SAAM Petrel is the first tugboat in Chile to comply with IMO’s stringent Tier III emissions standards and has helped the Chilean owner demonstrate how it can mitigate pollution in the port.

This 24.4-m, 327-gt vessel was built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey as a Bogacay-class vessel and has enhanced ship manoeuvring and docking in Arica harbour since its arrival during 2026.

SAAM said this tugboat, named after the petrel, a seabird native to the local coastline, would be operating further afield over the rest of 2026 and into 2027 to assist ships and minimise the risk of maritime incidents.

“The state-of-the-art tugboat is set to support ship berthing and unberthing manoeuvres across the region,” said SAAM Towage following the naming ceremony.

SAAM Petrel was built to Robert Allan Ltd’s RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design, with a bollard pull of 80 tonnes and a maximum speed of 13 knots.

Its propulsion consists of twin Caterpillar-manufactured four-stroke high-speed diesel engines, each achieving 2,350 kW at 1,800 rpm, driving two azimuth thrusters at the stern. These engines are connected to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment units to minimise NOx from the exhaust and to comply with IMO Tier III emissions requirements.

SAAM Towage has also installes SCR units and urea tanks on other tugboats it operates across Latin America and western Canada for Tier III compliance.

“The naming of SAAM Petrel truly embodies our purpose as a company: driving sustainable global trade that fosters development and well-being for all,” said SAAM chief executive Hernán Gómez.

“Investing in these capabilities enables us to keep connecting Chile to the world through services that are increasingly efficient, reliable, and environmentally responsible,” he said.

It has a beam of 12 m, a hull depth of 4.5 m, a navigational draught of 5.5 m, accommodation for eight seafarers and a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting capability.

“SAAM Petrel not only brings cutting-edge technology to swiftly meet customer demands, but it also reflects our crews’ day-to-day commitment to operating under the highest safety standards,” said SAAM Towage manager for the southern-cone cluster, Javiera Hevia.