Portland Harbour Authority has acquired 2019-built tug Sirapinar Xll from Sanmar Shipyards to manoeuvre ships at a former Royal Navy harbour in Dorset, England
This 22.4-m tug has been renamed Rupert Best. It is a twin Z-drive, diesel-powered tugboat, designed for maximum efficiency when handling seagoing ships. It is powered by twin Caterpillar 3512C main engines, each delivering 1,500 kW of power at 1,600 rpm driving two Schottel SRP 360 fixed-pitch Z-drives, giving Rupert Best a bollard pull of 50 tonnes and speed ahead of 12 knots.
“Rupert Best will prepare us well for future port developments,” said Portland Harbour general manager for marine Mike Shipley. “We are extremely happy with the tug.”
Sanmar delivered this Sirapinar tug from its fleet in Turkey to the UK in Q1 2021. It has a beam of 10.80 m, hull depth of 4.89 m plus fuel oil capacity of 70 m3.
Portland Harbour has developed into a thriving commercial port since Langham Industries took over control from the Royal Navy in 1997. This port in southern England handles cruise ships, bunker vessels and cargo ships. It also maintains a strong relationship with the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Sanmar’s head of regional sales in Europe, Vimal Choy, said the Sirapinar series is exclusive to this tug builder.
“A compact, yet powerful little sister to our larger Bogacay tugs, it combines the low operational and maintenance costs associated with a compact hull, with manoeuvrability and a hefty bollard pull,” said Mr Choy.
Portland Harbour chief executive Bill Reeves was also pleased with the tug addition. “I am delighted that we have added the new Sanmar tug to our fleet,” he said.
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