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Wilson Sons expands fleet in major Brazilian port
A Brazilian towage provider has launched a second azimuth stern drive tugboat from its own shipyard near Sao Paulo to enhance ship handling in a growing port in the nation
Wilson Sons has launched new tugboat, WS Capella, at its own shipyard in Guaruja, Sao Paulo state, to handle Panamax-sized ships in the Port of Santos, Brazil.
The Brazilian tugboat owner is in the middle of a newbuilding campaign at its shipyard as part of its fleet expansion and modernisation programme.
WS Capella is the second of three azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs being built by Wilson Sons to a Damen ASD 2312 design, with the first, WS Halcyon, delivered in January 2026.
All of these 23-m tugs are built with a beam of 12 m, 70 tonnes of bollard pull, twin IMO Tier III-compliant diesel engines driving two azimuth thrusters on the stern, and a FiFi1-class firefighting system delivering 2,400 m3/hr of water.
The shipyard in Guaruja is scheduled to complete the third of these ASD 2312 tugs in Q3 2026.
WS Capella was launched and named in May 2026 by Wilson Sons Shipping Agency executive director, Flavia Carvalho, and will be mobilised to the Port of Santos, where it will work with other Wilson Sons’ tugs to manoeuvre and dock Panamax bulk carriers.
Wilson Sons executive director of the towage division, Marcio Castro, said the new tugboats are a robust addition to Brazil’s logistics chain.
“With its power, WS Capella will fully meet the requirements necessary for the safe handling of increasingly larger ships, generating income and strengthening port infrastructure, which directly supports the Brazilian economy,” he said.
With the completion of WS Capella, Wilson Sons has built 155 vessels over the shipyard’s 80-year history in Guaruja.
The Port of Santos is one of the largest and busiest ports in Latin America, serving as a primary maritime gateway in Brazil, with more than 60 berths and multiple terminals handling containers, bulk liquid and dry cargoes and general cargoes.
The port handled over 5.4M TEU of containers and 180M tonnes of cargo in 2024. The port authority plans to raise its capacity to 230M tonnes of cargo through investment in terminals and deepening the ship channel.
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