Electric tugboat fleet nears completion in Turkey 

Sanmar Shipyards has launched the third of four electric-powered tugs it is building for Botas, Turkey’s state-owned crude oil and natural gas pipeline and trading company.

All four of these emissions-free tugboats are based on Robert Allan Ltd’s ElectRA 2500SX design and have 5,085 kWh capacity of batteries supplied by Corvus Energy, enabling them to achieve 70 tonnes of bollard pull and a speed of 12 knots.

These 25-m tugs have a beam of 13 m, a hull depth of 5 m, and a maximum draught of 6 m, plus a back-up diesel generator set for fire-fighting, extended endurance and accommodation for up to eight people.

Named Botas Hilal, Botas Bayrak, Botas Ay and Botas Yildiz, the first was launched on 5 July and the second on 9 August 2025, while the third was named in early September.

Each ElectRA tug eliminates around 1,700 tonnes of CO2 per year compared with a modern diesel-powered alternative.