Boluda Towage welcomes Uruguay’s first IMO Tier III tugboat

Boluda Towage has introduced the first tugboat in Uruguay to have onboard systems for reducing the pollutants that impact people living and working around the country’s main port.

Azimuth stern drive tug VB Tero arrived in July into the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, welcomed by other Boluda-operated tugboats in the harbour. It is the first tug with propulsion complying with IMO Tier III standards for reduced emissions of NOx, SOx and particulate matter.

This 387-gt tug has two Caterpillar-manufactured Cat 3516C main diesel four-stroke engines, running at 1,800 rpm, connected to a selective catalytic reduction unit for minimising NOx emissions.

VB Tero was designed and built by Damen Shipyards with a bollard pull of 82 tonnes coming from two azimuth thrusters and a ship-handling winch on the fore deck. It is sailing under the flag of St Vincent & Grenadines.

“VB Tero, like all our newly built tugboats, is equipped with the latest technology to control and reduce emissions, which ensures we comply with the IMO Tier III standards,” said Boluda Towage in its latest LinkedIn post. 
“This is in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability and one more step in reducing the impact of our activities.”

The port of Montevideo is on the Rio del la Plata river east of the Uruguay capital and is one of the major ports in South America. It has a major container ship terminal and the country’s main oil import terminal and refining complex.