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Bukser og Berging expands fleet with low-emissions newbuilds
Norwegian owner Bukser og Berging has modernised its fleet of harbour, terminal and offshore tugs with four newbuild vessels delivered in 2025, each with emissions-cutting technology and higher towage power
Bukser og Berging welcomed four newbuild harbour, coastal and offshore tugboats with technology and hullforms to significantly reduce emissions in 2025, including the first battery-electric tug in Europe.
This Norwegian owner has shown leadership for investing in tugs with technology to cut pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in ports and from coastal towage by welcoming these newbuilds to its fleet.
Bukser og Berging took delivery of a newbuild offshore and terminal tug with hybrid propulsion in Norway as it stives to raise safety, efficiency and cut emissions.
Uzmar Shipyard built Bube (BB) Power as a hybrid offshore tugboat for the Lysaker, Norway headquartered owner to assist ships, undertake ocean and coastal towage and handle anchors and mooring lines.
The newbuild of yard number NR-171 was constructed to Robert Allan Ltd’s RAmpage 4100BB-H design with a beam of 14.5 m and hybrid propulsion that delivers additional power to enable this 41.2-m vessel to achieve a bollard pull of 120 tonnes.
Berg Propulsion integrated all the propulsion and automation systems for BB Power. This included two main diesel, four-stroke engines from Anglo Belgian Corp, each with 2,800 kW of power and two ABB 900 ekW electric shaft generators and two 3,700-kW azimuth thrusters and one 500 kW bow thruster.
Volvo Penta supplied four 555 ekW auxiliaries, Kongsberg Maritime delivered the advanced winch system for ship towage and anchor handling, Palfinger provided a PK90002H deck crane and Marine Technologies supplied the integrated bridge system and Dynapos dynamic positioning system.
“BB Power reflects our commitment to sustainable engineering and our ability to meet the evolving demands of offshore operations with smart, future-forward solutions”
BB Power bridge was designed for full operational command from operator chairs for ergonomics and precise control. It has four control stations enabling crew to operate the winch, manoeuvre the vessel, and navigate using ECDIS, radar and other devices and aids.
“BB Power is a vessel that truly embodies the future of advanced marine operations,” said Bukser og Berging chief technology officer Thomas Sørgjerd.
“This hybrid tugboat represents not only engineering excellence and environmental responsibility, but also the strength of collaboration between Uzmar, Robert Allan, and our dedicated team. BB Power will be a cornerstone in our fleet, enabling us to serve with greater capability, safety, and sustainability.”
BB Power has Bureau Veritas class notations Comf-Noise 3 and Comf-Vib 3 with onboard systems designed for crew comfort and low noise and vibration.
This 1,100-gt vessel has a beam of 14.5 m, a moulded depth of 7.6 m, an operating draught of 6.6 m and accommodation for 10 crew members, and capacities for storing 450 m3 of fuel and 40 m3 of water.
Its deck machinery includes an anchor-handling winch with a maximum pull of 175 tonnes and a brake of 250 tonnes for 670 m of 64-mmm diameter wire, and a towing winch of similar capacity, but with 1,000 m of 64-mm wire.
BB Power also has a 6-m stern roller with a safe weight load (SWL) of 250 tonnes, two tow pins, two sharjaws, two windlasses and two capstans, plus a J-chaser of 110 tonnes SWL and grapnel of 110 tonnes SWL, a storage reel for over 1,650 m of 76-mm wire and another for 1,200 m of 76-mm wire.
“BB Power reflects our commitment to sustainable engineering and our ability to meet the evolving demands of offshore operations with smart, future-forward solutions,” said Uzmar chief executive and president Ahmet Noyan Altug. “Together, we have created a vessel that raises the bar in performance, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.”
Bukser og Berging reduced the environmental footprint of harbour towage in Oslo, Norway, with arrival of a new electric-powered tugboat.
Sanmar Shipyards built BB Electra in Turkey to Robert Allan Ltd’s ElectRA 2200 SX design, which is exclusive to the builder, which is a leader in producing electric-powered tugs.
This ABS-classed and battery-electric tug has a bollard pull ahead of 45 tonnes to support, manoeuvre, berth and undock vessels in Oslo.
A 22.2-m tug, BB Electra has a moulded beam of 10.8 m, least moulded depth of around 4.4 m, a navigational draught of 4.8 m, speed of 12 knots and accommodation for three crew members.
On board is a Corvus energy storage system with 1,718 kWh capacity and a Caterpillar C32 IMO Tier III-compliant generator set providing 940 ekW at 1,800 rpm, while there is storage for 24 m3 of fuel oil, 8 m3 fresh water, 5.5 m3 of sewage and 7.4 m3 of foam.
BB Electra has an off-ship fire-fighting system for a foam and water mix with one pump of 1,200 m3/hr capacity driving a power take-off unit on the genset and two remotely operated monitors of 600 m3/hr each.
Sanmar Shipyards chairman Ali Gürün said delivering BB Electra was the culmination of a collaboration between the builder and the naval architect.
“We have had a long and extremely successful relationship with Robert Allan Ltd that has led to us building some of the most important landmark tugs of the past 30 years,” he said.
Twin RAmparts delivered
Buksér og Berging took delivery of two new harbour tugboats built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey in 2025 to enhance ship handling, towage and docking in two Norwegian ports.
Tugboats Bever and Boss were built as part of Sanmar’s Bogacay series to a RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design that Robert Allan Ltd developed exclusively for the Turkish shipbuilder. While Bever is working in harbours in Oslo Fjord, Boss is in the port of Stavanger on the west coast of Norway.
Bever was the first to be delivered in February, as its construction was already well underway, while Boss was upgraded with an integrated bridge system (IBS), which Sanmar claims is the first in the tugboat sector, and delivered in June.
Borth vessels have an overall length of around 24 m, a beam of 12 m, a least moulded depth of 4.5 m and a navigational draught of 5.5 m. They each have capacity to store 78 m3 of fuel and 12 m3 of potable water.
Their propulsion consists of two Caterpillar-manufactured Cat 3512E main engines, which comply with IMO Tier III emissions standards and two azimuth Z-drives on the stern.
Sanmar said Bogacay series-tugs are built for “optimal efficiency in ship-handling duties for seagoing ships, coastal towing, escort and general-purpose duties.”
While Bever has a bollard pull ahead of 60 tonnes, Boss has 75 tonnes of bollard pull, a free-running speed of 12 knots and accommodation for six crew.
Marine Technologies, a subsidiary of Edison Chouest, supplied the bridge system and integrated it on Boss at one of Sanmar’s shipyards in Turkey
The IBS has an operator console and a lengthy workstation, multiple screens for displaying ECDIS, radar and engineering data, plus speedlog, various communications radios and thruster controls.
“This cutting-edge architecture consolidates all navigation, communications and control systems into a unified, streamlined interface, providing captains and chief engineers with enhanced situational awareness and unparalleled operational command,” said Sanmar when describing the IBS.
“The system is engineered to set new standards for safety, efficiency and sustainability in modern tug operations. Boss is fitted with additional bridge features designed to enhance operational performance, including a 180° rotating operator chair, optimising visibility and control during both ahead and astern manoeuvres.”
Boss is also equipped with towing and tugger winches, tow pins, a stern roller and a deck crane for efficient and secure towing operations across a wide range of demanding tasks.
Each tug was individually profiled in Riviera’s TugWorld Annual Review 2025, published in December 2025
Riviera’s 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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