Kotug adds five escort tugs to support West African LNG projects

“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.”

The 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.