Double addition to Mediterranean tug fleets

Two Turkish tug operators have expanded their fleets through acquisition and newbuildings.

Gemport, a subsidiary of Yılport Holdings, has purchased a tug from Med Marine’s fleet to assist in a Turkish port. Gemport acquired Altıntel M and renamed it İznik Y before it started operations in Gemlik Port.

This 18-m tug was built to a Robert Allan design and RINA class with a 6.7 m beam and 3.28 m draught. It has a full speed of 12 knots and bollard pull of 30 tonnes.

This comes from two CAT 3508B engines that develop a total output of 1,640 kW driving two Wärtsilä-supplied, 170-cm diameter propellers that are in fixed 193-cm kort nozzles.

Yıldırım Group operates 21 terminals in nine countries. Med Marine has nine other tugs similar to İznik Y in its operating fleet. It has a busy building programme in 2019 consisting of various Robert Allan-designed tugboats, Camarc-designed pilot vessels and mooring boats.

In another fleet addition, ICDAS Turkey completed construction of its second Z-Tech tug for operations in Çanakkale, Turkey. This 27-m tug was named Kara Yusuf-2 and was built to a Robert Allan Z-Tech 6500 design and ClassNK notations.

Kara Yusuf-2 has a beam of 12.2 m and draught of 5.25 m. It has a full running speed of 12.5 knots and 65 tonnes of bollard pull ahead.

This comes from the tug’s main propulsion that includes a pair of MTU 4000 M63, 16-valve diesel engines, each rated at 2,000 kW at 1,800 rpm driving two Rolls Royce US 205 fixed-pitch Z-drive units. The electrical plant consists of two identical Deutz diesel generator sets, each with a power output of 112 kW at 400 V, in three phases and 50 Hz frequency.

Other Turkish tug builder news in Tug Technology & Business:

• SAAM Smit expands Canadian fleet with powerful escort tug
• Powerful tug launched for Mediterranean escort duties
• TOR Group gains tug newbuilding orders
• Tug ordered for Adriatic port towage
• Turkish yards secure tugboat orders