A Dutch tug owner has taken delivery of five escort tugs from a Turkish shipbuilder to support LNG export projects in West Africa
Turkish shipbuilder Uzmar has completed a five-vessel newbuilding series of escort tugs for Kotug International, with four to provide marine services to BP on its LNG export development on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border, and one vessel to work for Eni’s Congo gas project.
SD Djoudj, SD Chatboul, SD Rosso and SD Waalo have left the shipyard to support BP’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas project, while SD Wonder operates from Pointe Noire in Congo, according to automatic identification system (AIS) data.
These tugs are built to Robert Allan Ltd’s RAstar 3200-W design with 80 tonnes of bollard pull coming from two Caterpillar main diesel four-stroke, high-speed engines turning two azimuth thrusters. All feature FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting systems and escort-class winches.
“This milestone reflects more than the delivery of five vessels; it reflects the future of maritime excellence,” said Kotug president and chief executive Ard-Jan Kooren. “Together with Uzmar, we have built not only state-of-the-art tugboats but also the foundation for future growth in West Africa.”
Kotug, Uzmar and other stakeholders celebrated the newbuilding campaign’s completion at a ceremony at the shipyard when SD Waalo was delivered.
“Four of these vessels will support vital energy flows, strengthen port operations, and drive economic development in Senegal and Mauritania,” Mr Kooren confirmed. “As a family owned company, we take pride in collaborating with the communities we operate, while we accelerate the industry with cutting edge technology based on decades of experience.”
BP’s GTA offshore project includes a floating production storage and offloading vessel and a floating LNG production, storage and offloading facility.
“This five-vessel project was built on decades of trust and understanding between Kotug and Uzmar,” said Uzmar president and chief executive Ahmet Noyan Altuğ. “We proudly deliver these five vessels, celebrating engineering excellence and also loyalty, shared values and a friendship that stood the test of time.”
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