NamPort orders newbuild tractor tug from Turkish builder

Turkish tugboat owner and builder, Med Marine, has won a contract to build a new tractor tug for the Namibian Ports Authority (NamPort) to support ships transiting the country’s largest harbour.

NamPort and Med Marine signed the contract to construct a tug to a Robert Allan Ltd TRActor design on 28 October 2025 at the authority’s headquarters in Walvis Bay, Namibia. Under this agreement, Med Marine will undertake the construction, outfitting, testing, and delivery of a TRActor tugboat with a bollard pull capacity of 80 tonnes.

Once completed, this vessel will join NamPort’s fleet to improve the efficiency, safety and towage capabilities of operations in the Port of Walvis Bay.

NamPort chief executive Andrew Kanime and Med Marine chief legal counsel Ali Can Ciftci signed the contract at a ceremony attended by NamPort executives and Med Marine’s agent in Namibia, Anthony Abrahams.

Med Marine said this contract marked “another important step in its growing presence across the African continent.”

The tug builder said this “collaboration reflects the strengthening of maritime bonds between Turkey and Namibia” and it “underscores Med Marine’s dedication to shaping a safer, more efficient maritime future for Africa.

NamPort is Namibia’s national port authority and state-owned enterprise responsible for operating the country’s main seaports in Walvis Bay and Luderitz.

It contributes to economic growth in Namibia, enhances the country’s logistics and supports cross-border connectivity through established transport corridors linking to land-locked neighbouring countries.