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Milestone in tug propulsion celebrated at industry technology conference
Delegates at a leading towage sector conference celebrated tug design, construction and propulsion during a networking session in Antwerp, Belgium
Canadian naval architect Robert Allan Ltd and German propulsion manufacturer Schottel celebrated a significant milestone in their long-standing partnership at Riviera’s TUGTECHNOLOGY ’25 Conference in Antwerp, Belgium, on 20 May.
Five hundred Robert Allan-designed tugs have now been equipped with Schottel propulsion systems. The 500th was Kotug Canada’s newbuild dual-fuel methanol tugboat built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey to Robert Allan’s RAsalvor 4400 DFM design and equipped with Schottel RudderPropellers (SRP) of type SRP 710 and Sydrive-M.
Robert Allan Ltd president and chief executive Mike Fitzpatrick said this milestone was achieved due to the long-term relationships between the naval architect and Schottel, with more than 50 vessels built to its designs with SRPs per year at various shipyards for operations worldwide.
"When designing tugs, it is important to trust in the equipment, to know the shipyard and owners," he told Riviera during the celebration.
He was presented with a 1:10 model of scale of Schottel’s SRP 460, which is the most common of the German company’s thrusters to be installed on Robert Allan-designed tugboats.
"We work with suppliers that are prepared to fix problems. Schottel’s SRP 460 is mid-range and the right size for tugboats," said Mr Fitzpatrick.
Kotug Canada is set to receive two RASalvor 4400-DFM vessels – named SD Aisemaht and SD Qwiy Aanitsa Sarah – in Q2 2025 and mobilise them to British Columbia, Canada when finished.
When they arrive, these emergency support tugs will be employed to escort laden crude oil tankers from the Trans Mountain oil terminal, in the Port of Vancouver, to the open Pacific Ocean through the commercial shipping lanes of the Salish Sea.
Sanmar has built them with methanol dual-fuel engines and Sydrive-M mechanical hybrid propulsion, with a bollard pull of around 120 tonnes.
“We are incredibly proud to have achieved this great success in our partnership with Robert Allan, which has thrived for many decades," said Schottel deputy chief executive Roland Schwandt.
"The number of 500 ships is an expression of the trust that Robert Allan places in our propulsion systems. We look forward to continuing this successful collaboration."
"Kotug Canada’s newbuild tugs push the boundaries in marine engineering, and are cutting-edge, dual-fuel escort tugs," said Schottel vice-president for after-sales services, Stefan Buch.
Robert Allan and Schottel can look back on a series of significant achievements in their ongoing collaboration such as the delivery of SRPs for the first tugs in Robert Allan’s Z-Tech series, which was originally developed for PSA Marine of Singapore in 2003.
And Mwokozi II, a 42-m salvage and harbour tug built by Med Marine to a RAstar 4200 design with 125 tonnes of bollard pull, making it the most powerful in Africa when it was deployed in 2022.
Other highlights are a series of diesel-electric powered river pushboats of the RApide 4600-Z3 design for Hidrovias do Brasil, built by Uzmar Shipyard, and the HaiSea Marine tug fleet, featuring three electric vessels of ElectRA 2800 design built by Sanmar.
Both series are equipped with SRPs in the LE-Drive variant. “The use of compact L-Drive azimuth drive configurations has become the standard configuration for all Robert Allan electric tug designs, as it allows for the most compact overall vessel design possible, while still leaving sufficient space for battery banks and other equipment," said Mr Fitzpatrick.
More than a third of all Robert Allan azimuth tug designs have been fitted with Schottel propulsion systems, including RAscal, RAstar, RAmparts, RAmpage, ART and Z-Tech designs. These vessels range from 18 m to 65 m in length, with a bollard pull between 20 tonnes and 125 tonnes.
The 28th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, 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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