Construction starts on Turkey’s most powerful escort tugs

Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety (KEGM) has ordered two powerful ship-escort vessels to provide emergency towage and fire fighting on the Black Sea.

Med Marine has begun building the two tugs for the Turkish government division at the Eregli Shipyard on the Black Sea coast. The shipbuilder held a steel-cutting ceremony at the shipyard on 3 November attended by senior representatives from KEGM, the shipyard and Med Marine.

Under the contract signed on 5 May 2025, Eregli Shipyard will construct, outfit, test and deliver two 42-m escort tugs, yard numbers ER 190 and ER 191, each with a minimum bollard pull of 130 tonnes.

Med Marine said these will be the most powerful escort tugs operating in Turkey when completed, based on their expected bollard pull.

KEGM will employ the tugs to respond to distressed ships and other maritime emergencies with escort-class winches and a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting system.

“We have begun a project of national importance, building two powerful escort tugs that will stand as symbols of Turkey’s maritime resilience," said Med Marine general manager Yildiz Bozkurt Ozcan.

He said these vessels will safeguard Turkey’s coasts and “contribute to a safer maritime future for the nation.”

They will have a beam of 16 m, a hull depth of 6 m, a maximum draught of around 8 m, a top speed of 14 knots and accommodation for 11 crew members.