Svitzer adds two newbuilds to Panamanian fleet 

Svitzer has taken delivery of two newbuild tractor tugs from a Turkish shipbuilder for its growing fleet in Panama. 

Med Marine has delivered two 25.9-m tractor tugs for Denmark-based shipowner Svitzer, a subsidiary of AP Moller Holding. The vessels have been named Isla Popa and Isla Uva, after a handover ceremony at the Eregli Shipyard on the northern Turkish coast.  

Both have since sailed across the Mediterranean Sea and began heading across the Atlantic Ocean from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, on 18 September, to Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, according to Automatic Identification System information. From there, the pair of tugs will then head to Panama to begin ship manoeuvring operations. 

Med Marine built the tugs to Robert Allan Ltd’s TRAktor 2600-Z design with 65 tons of bollard pull, a beam of 12.8 m, a draught of 6 m, a top speed of 12 knots, a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting system and accommodation for six crew.