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SAAM Towage: fleet growth, corporate deals, green investments
South America’s largest tug owner has taken full control of Intertug and ordered six new tugboats in a busy Q2 2026
SAAM Towage is strengthening its fleet and position in Latin America through newbuild and corporate investments. The Santiago, Chile-headquartered company is already South America’s largest owner, with 203 tugs operating in 97 ports in 12 countries.
In May, SAAM completed its US$30.5M investment in acquiring the final 30% stake in Intertug that it did not already own to gain full control of its operations in Colombia and Mexico, after acquiring 70% in 2021.
“By closing this deal, we are consolidating our leadership in the region,” said SAAM chief executive, Hernan Gomez Cisternas. “This is a key step in our growth strategy for 2030. Our goal is to expand our geographic presence through an efficient, flexible and sustainable operating model that stands out for its excellence in an industry critical to global trade,” he said.
Also in May, SAAM ordered new harbour and escort tugboats for its fleets in Latin America. It contracted Sanmar Shipyards to build four new tugs to Robert Allan Ltd’s RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design and one to the Canadian naval architect’s RAstar 2900SX design.
These tugboats will all be equipped with FiFi1 firefighting capabilities, Kongsberg Maritime azimuth thrusters and Caterpillar main engines, and have a bollard pull of between 70 and 80 tonnes. They will be deployed in Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.
SAAM also ordered a 32-m RAstar 3200W escort tug from Chile’s ASENAV, to be delivered in 2027. This vessel will have a FiFi1 firefighting system, two main diesel engines complying with IMO Tier III regulations, a bollard pull of more than 80 tonnes, and will be fitted with safety equipment for operations at LNG import terminals.
In Brazil, SAAM ordered four ASD tugboats with 70 tonnes of bollard pull and FiFi1 firefighting systems from Belov Group for delivery within the next 20 months, to operate in Brazilian ports.
"Signing of the contract marks the beginning of an important partnership, in line with the expansion of SAAM’s fleet towards 2030, and reinforces the Belov Group’s growth momentum in the naval market," said Belov.
"This advance is supported by the shipyard’s recent investments in expansion, modernisation and technology, with emphasis on the expansion of the industrial structure and the modernisation of the industrial park, strengthening its production capacity to meet increasingly demanding projects," said the Brazilian group.
In June 2026 an agreement with thruster manufacturer Schottel was signed, covering asset monitoring and predictive maintenance.
Schottel will assign a fleet manager to co-ordinate the monitoring of thrusters and controls, facilitate the exchange of technical information and support the creation of an integrated database of the equipment installed in SAAM’s fleet.
Around 37% of the company’s azimuth tugboat fleet has equipment from Schottel, which opened a workshop in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2026 to strengthen its service and technical support capabilities in Latin America.
“The agreement allows us to move toward a more integrated and collaborative relationship with Schottel, with a focus on continuous improvement, the availability of our fleet and the efficiency of our maintenance processes,” said SAAM Towage manager of the fleet and operations, Alentue Pompei. “This is a crucial step toward further strengthening the reliability of our operations and the service we provide to our customers,” he added.
Each year, SAAM’s vessels conduct more than 155,000 manoeuvres, supporting various types of ships, such as container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, roro vessels and gas carriers.
“This is a key step in our growth strategy”
Its vessels also provide services for offshore exploration and energy production and at gas and oil terminals.
Mr Cisternas said investment in tug fleets and towage services is attractive because it generates stable returns and positive sentiment for investors.
“Almost like infrastructure, [towage services] can be sold to investors,” he said, adding that tug owners need to “sell their investment thesis to shareholders and investors,” before taking decisions on fleet renewal and expansion.
SAAM is also an early adopter of battery electric tugboats. In 2024, it introduced Chief Dan and SAAM Volta battery-powered tugs into its operations in British Columbia, Canada. In 2025, SAAM Trapananda started assisting tankers docking in Puerto Chacabuco in southern Chile.
These were built by Sanmar to Robert Allan’s ElectRA designs, with Corvus energy storage systems for low-emissions towage.
In Q1 2026, SAAM Towage introduced newbuild harbour tug SAAM Guanay into its fleet in Callao, Peru, after its construction by Sanmar to a RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design and with a bollard pull of 80 tonnes.
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