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Svitzer takes delivery of its first Chinese-built TRAnsverse tug
A major builder of tugboats in China has confirmed it has completed its first TRAnsverse design escort tug for the world’s second largest tug owner
Svitzer’s first Chinese-built TRAnsverse 2900-design escort tug has completed sea trials, left the shipyard, and is heading towards the Indian Ocean.
Svitzer Resolve is the first of a series of these tugs that Cheoy Lee Shipyards is building at its Hin Lee Shipyard in Zhuhai.
This 29-m, 490-gt tug was built to naval architecture developed by Svitzer and British Columbia, Canada-headquartered Robert Allan Ltd.
It has a beam of 13 m, twin Furuno radar and wheelhouse navigational electronics, and a FiFi1 firefighting system with two monitors and an all-round water spray capability.
Svitzer Resolve is sailing under the UK flag towards Singapore and then Port Louis, Mauritius. It was passing the island of Borneo on 4 Nov 2026, having left Hong Kong on 27 October, according to automatic identification system data.
A Svitzer spokesman confirmed Svitzer Resolve was bound for Southampton, UK, and should arrive in early to mid-January 2027.
He said the escort tug has two Everllence 175D-MM engines with 12 cylinders in V formation, delivering 2,400 kW at 1,800 rpm and linked to an aftertreatment system for reducing NOx emissions and compliance with IMO Tier III regulations.
These are driving two US 255S P30 azimuth thrusters of CP-PD2800 type from Kongsberg Maritime to deliver a maximum bollard pull of 81 tonnes and a top speed of 13 knots.
For electric onboard power, Svitzer Resolve has two Caterpillar-manufactured C4.4 generators producing 99 ekW of alternating three-phase current at 415 V and 50 Hz.
The TRAnsverse design includes a double-ended hull, inline fore-and-aft thrusters and a patented half-circle staple for ship handling and towage.
Svitzer has previously said its TRAnsverse 2900-design tugs have a bollard pull of around 80 tonnes, but these tugs have higher escort steering and braking forces due to their hull design and propulsion system.
Svitzer currently has 23 other TRAnsverse tugs under construction or on order in 26 m, 29 m and 32 m variants – in both electric and conventional diesel (biofuel-ready) propulsion options - for delivery in Q4 2026 to 2028.
This includes 15 TRAnsverse 2900-design tugs on order at Cheoy Lee, of which seven are in a first batch contracted in 2025 and another eight in a second batch that Svitzer ordered in September 2026.
Connect with the international tug community at TUGTECHNOLOGY ‘27, the industry’s premier technical gathering, taking place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 19-20 May 2027. Join tug owners, operators, builders, designers and technology providers for two days of industry insight, knowledge sharing and valuable networking. Find out more here.
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