OMMP continues its tugboat fleet modernisation

Construction is progressing on a fleet of harbour tugs for Tunisia’s Office of Merchant Marine and Ports (OMMP), with the fourth of six tugs delivered.

Med Marine is building these 28-m tugboats at its shipyard in Eregli, on the Turkish Black Sea coast, to a RAmparts 2800 design from Vancouver, Canada-headquartered Robert Allan Ltd.

These tugs are being delivered from the shipyard in quick succession, with the fourth, yard number ER169, now completed as Dougga as part of OMMP’s fleet modernisation and expansion strategy. Its delivery follows the addition of Bulla Regia, El Jem, and Oudhna to the fleet in Q3 and Q4 2025.

Two more have been launched and are being prepared for sea trials and delivery to the Tunisian port authority in H1 2026.

These 428-gt azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs are capable of ship escort, towing, mooring, pushing and emergency response with a FiFi-E class off-ship firefighting system.

They have a beam of 12 m, a draught of 5 m, a bollard pull ahead of 60 tonnes, accommodation for eight crew and a top speed of 12 knots. All are powered by twin medium-speed diesel engines driving two azimuth thrusters on the stern and have an open aft deck engineered to carry two 10-ft containers.

“With Dougga now delivered, the six-vessel programme continues to take clear shape,” said Med Marine. “Each handover reinforces a shared focus on capability, reliability, and the long-term evolution of Tunisia’s port operations.”