Turkish tug builders have benefited from domestic and export orders and collaboration with a Canadian naval architect.
Shipyards in the nation have gained orders and are expanding their own tugboat fleets to maintain capacity and workflow into 2019. They are using tug designs from Robert Allan for vessels that provide harbour assistance, coastal towage and escort duties.
RMK Marine Shipyard is the latest Turkish company to secure tugboat orders. This Koç Holding subsidiary received a contract to build two harbour towage tugs from a Turkish owner in November.
It is building two tugs to a Robert Allan RAmparts 2500-SD design. These azimuthing stern drive (ASD) type tugs will have bollard pulls of 70 tonnes, a free sailing speed of 12 knots, an overall length of 25.4 m, beam of 11.8 m and a depth of 4.6 m.
RMK will install a pair of MTU 16V 4000 series diesel main engines in each of these tugs. These M63L engines will generate 2,240 kW of power at 1,800 rpm.
Also in the engineroom will be two Margen gensets that provide 140 kW of electrical power for vessel services, including the deck machinery.
Each tug will be driven by two Rolls-Royce US 255 azimuth thrusters with controllable pitch propellers of 2,600 mm diameter. Data Hidrolik is supplying hydraulic fore and aft towing winches with 45 tonnes of pulling capacity and 180 tonnes of brake capacity.
Each ASD tug will have a FiFi1 fire-fighting system with two diesel-driven pumps that each deliver 1,350 m3/hr and two electrically-controlled monitors.
Rival builder Sanmar has gained a contract from Italian owner Rimorchiatori Napoletani for a Bogacay-series tug, based on a Robert Allan design.
This tug will have an overall length of 24.4 m, beam of 11.25 m and bollard pull of 75 tonnes.
It will be classed by RINA and have a FiFi1 fire-fighting system with its own dedicated diesel engine. Its main propulsion will come from a pair of Caterpillar main engines that each deliver 2,350 kW of power and drive two Rolls-Royce US 255 fixed pitch Z-drives.
Uzmar Shipbuilding launched an escort and terminal tug on 15 November. This is built to a Robert Allan RAstar 3200-W design at the shipyard in the Kocaeli free zone for SAAM Smit Towage.
This 32-m tug will be employed in Q2 2019 to escort and berth LNG carriers at an export facility in British Columbia, Canada, after delivery in Q1 2019. Also next year, Uzmar plans to build a series of tugs for its own fleet and for sale stock.
Med Marine has completed two new mooring vessels at its Ereğli Shipyard in Turkey ready to be deployed for enhancing its operations in İzmit and İskenderun bays. It completed six tugs, based on Robert Allan designs, in its shipyard for its own fleet this year. Next year, Med Marine intends to build more tugs for its own fleet.
In Q3 2018, Bogazici shipbuilder competed escort tug Paraggi for a subsidiary of Italian tugboat owner Rimorchiatori Riuniti.
Paraggi was built to a Cintranaval design for Finarge Armamento Genovese with 70 tonnes of bollard pull and a top speed of 13 knots.
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