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Latin American owners extend towage fleets
Tugboats have been built in Brazil and Turkey to improve towage in ports in South and Central America from Mexico to Chile
There has been an increase in towage capabilities in ports within Latin America as owners have invested in their tugboat fleets.
Wilson Sons has built the first of a new series of high-powered tugs in Brazil to handle larger ships calling at the nation’s main ports.
WS Halcyon is the first azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug launched in this series at the shipyard in Guaruja, Sao Paulo.
It was built to Damen’s ASD 2312 design with an overall length of 23 m, a beam of 12 m and a bollard pull of 70 tonnes, and is working in Sao Sebastiao, Brazil, according to automatic identification system data.
Rio Maguari has produced other 23-m harbour tugs for Svitzer and Sulnorte in the past six months as part of a series it is building to Robert Allan’s RAmparts 2300-design.
It completed Svitzer Copacabana to support a floating LNG import terminal, Svitzer Cassino for ship handling in Pecem and SN Acarau for Sulnorte’s operations in Salvador.
These ABS-class tugs have a bollard pull of 70 tonnes, a top speed of 13 knots and a FiFi1 firefighting system to provide emergency response.
Rio Maguari is also producing Svitzer Encintados for the Danish owner, and SN Caraiva for Sulnorte, with deliveries expected in H1 2026.
SAAM Towage welcomed its latest tugboat, SAAM Guanay in the Port of Callao, Peru, in April after its construction by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey to Robert Allan’s RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design.
This 24-m tugboat has a beam of 12 m, a draught of 5.5 m, a bollard pull of 80 tonnes and a free-running speed of about 13 knots.
It is powered by two Caterpillar 3516E main engines delivering 2,350 kW at 1,800 rpm to two Z-drives on the stern, connected to exhaust aftertreatment systems for minimising NOx emissions and complying with IMO Tier III regulations.
Sanmar also built UT Patzcuaro to the same design for Chile-headquartered Ultratug and it started operating in Lazaro Cardenas Port, Mexico in Q1 2026. It was also built with Cat 3516E main engines complying with IMO Tier III emissions standards and a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting system.
In Honduras, Boluda Towage added VB Cobra to its operations after its construction by Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam as part of a campaign for newbuild tugs with hybrid propulsion involving shaft generators and electric power.
Elsewhere, Panama Canal Authority welcomed Isla Coiba tugboat after its construction by Armon in Spain with hybrid propulsion involving battery packs supporting diesel engines, as part of a series of newbuilds under a large contract for more than 10 vessels..
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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