Sanmar Delivers Its Sixth ElectRA Tugboat to Norwegian Operator
Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has delivered the sixth electric power tugboat from its ElectRA series to Norwegian operator Buksér og Berging.Named BB ELECTRA by its new owners, the tug will be based at the Port of Oslo.It boasts exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2200 SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan, and represents the eighth tug that Sanmar has delivered to Buksér og Berging.With an overall length of 22.2 meters excluding fenders, molded breadth of 10.84 meters and least molded depth of 4.4 meters, BB ELECTRA has 1.718 kWh of battery power.
HaiSea Unveils New Operations Facility for Its Green Tug Fleet
HaiSea Marine, majority owned by Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, is celebrating the official naming and blessing of its new floating operations facility – which will be the home base for its fleet of three full-electric and two liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugboats.The new facility, named Zewén, is a floating operations and maintenance building purpose-built and designed to withstand the extreme tidal range in the Kitimat region. It features a large workshop…
Furuno Unveils TZtouchXL With Risk Visualizer And AI Avoidance Route
Marine electronics manufacturer Furuno introduced the NavNet TZtouchXL series, a suite of Multi Function Displays (MFDs) designed to meet the requirements of workboat operators, including ferries and tugboats.The NavNet TZtouchXL series encompasses three large-sized MFDs: the 16” TZT16X, 22” TZT22X, and 24” TZT24X. These MFDs feature super-wide, all-glass displays with exceptional clarity and brightness. The rugged all-glass design is not only functional but also enhances the durability and functionality of the helm.
Sanmar Launches First Emissions-Free ElectRA Tug for Its Own Fleet
Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar has launched electric battery-powered ElectRA tug for its own fleet, which will provide towage, ship assistance and escorting services at six ports around Turkiye.ElectRA will be the seventh electric battery tug delivered from Sanmar Shipyards within a year, five of which are already operating in Vancouver in Canada, while the sixth is currently being delivered to Norway.Based on the ElectRA 2300SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd…
Third Sanmar ElectRA Tug Arrives in Vancouver
A third electric-powered tug built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkiye has arrived in Vancouver, Canada, to join HaiSea Marine’s fleet.HaiSea Brave will work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HaiSea Wamis and HaiSea Wee'git before all three – along with two Sanmar-built liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.Based on the ElectRA 2800 SX design by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, HaiSea Brave…
Speed a Factor in Tug and Tanker Collision -NTSB
A tugboat maneuvering near a transiting tanker in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel was drawn in toward the tanker, leading to a collision, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The tugboat Mark E Kuebler and the tanker Nisalah collided in the channel near Ingleside, Texas, on January 22, 2023. The tugboat’s hull was breached by the tanker’s propeller, which was also damaged in the collision. The collision resulted in nearly $7 million in damages. There were…
KOTUG Takes Full Ownership of Its Bahamas Towage JV with SEACOR
KOTUG International, a marine services and towage provider based in the Netherlands, announced on Thursday it has concluded its acquisition of Kotug Seabulk Maritime (KSM), taking full ownership of the Caribbean marine towage business.KOTUG said it has acquired the interest of its joint venture partner, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based SEACOR Holdings via its Seabulk subsidiary KS Maritime Holdings, owner of the 50% share in KSM.Founded in 2017, KSM acts as the exclusive provider of maritime terminal support services for Buckeye Partners’ Bahamas Hub…
Centerline Logistics Acquires Tugs and Barges from JMB Shipping
Seattle-based maritime transportation provider Centerline Logistics announced it has acquired a fleet of four liquid tank barges and four tugboats from maritime asset holding company JMB Shipping.The deal closed on February 23, and its terms were not disclosed. Prior to the acquisition, JMB Shipping was owned by JMB Capital Partners Lending, an investment firm that bid $115 million in 2021 to purchase a portion of Bouchard Transportation's tug and barge fleet after the New York-based marine transport company went bankrupt.
Virginia-class Submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) Launched
HII announced that Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) was recently launched into the James River at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division.Shipbuilders transferred the submarine from a construction facility to the floating dry dock, where it was later submerged and moved by tugboats to a submarine pier at the shipyard for final outfitting, testing and crew certification.“Following the christening of this mighty submarine in May, witnessing Massachusetts launch into the river is a source of immense pride for our shipbuilding team…
Gulf LNG Tugs to Provide Towage at Texas LNG Terminal in Brownsville
Gulf LNG Tugs of Texas has been selected to provide towage services for the Texas LNG export terminal to be constructed in the Port of Brownsville.Gulf LNG Tugs, a consortium of Suderman & Young Towing Company, Bay-Houston Towing, and Moran Towing Corporation, will build, deliver and operate tugboats under a long term agreement to assist LNG carriers arriving at the facility.Texas LNG will be a 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal owned and managed by Glenfarne Energy Transition.
Rescuers Search for Missing Crew After Cargo Ship Sinks in the Marmara Sea
Rescue crews are searching by air and sea for six crew members missing from a Turkish-registered merchant vessel that sank in the Marmara Sea off northwest Turkey on Thursday.It was reported that the 69-meter general cargo ship Batuhan A started to sink at 6:30 a.m. local time due to bad weather and sea conditions, according to the Turkish Coast Guard. The 1,090 dwt vessel was said to be carrying dry cargo from Marmara Island to Gemlik and crewed by Turkish nationals.The Coast Guard said it deployed two ships (TCSG-313…
Insights: Blake Powell, JMS Naval Architects
Blake Powell, president at JMS Naval Architects, discusses his career, company and latest trends in naval architecture and marine engineering.Please give a brief professional bio, including education, experience and overview of current duties as president of JMS Naval Architects.I earned my degree in Naval Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley where I attended on a Navy ROTC scholarship and was commissioned as a Diving and Salvage Officer after I graduated.
Sanmar Delivers Tug to Turkey's Mersin International Port
Turkish tug builder Sanmar at the close of 2023 delivered a fifth tug to Mersin International Port, Turkey’s largest container port.Known as BOĞAÇAY LIX while under construction at Sanmar’s purpose-built eco-friendly shipyard, the newbuild multi-purpose Boğaçay Class tugboat, renamed MIP-5 by its new owners, is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400-SX MKll design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.Measuring 24.4m LOA, with a molded beam of 12m, least molded depth of 4.48m and overall maximum draft of 5.5m…
AR Simulator Added to Pilot Training at Smartship Australia
Force Technology won a deal to deliver its SimFlex4 AR solution as part of an extensive upgrade for the Queensland-based maritime simulation and training facility, Smartship Australia, which focuses on professional pilotage training and development. Smartship's facility in Brisbane includes five marine simulators, including two full mission bridges, one Tug bridge, and two-part task simulators.FORCE Technology’s SimFlex simulator was originally selected when Smartship Australia was first established in 2011.
Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral
When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.For more than a century, people have placed a wide assortment of objects on the seafloor off the U.S. coast to provide habitat for marine life and recreational opportunities for fishing and diving. Artificial reefs have been created from decommissioned ships, chicken transport cages, concrete pipes, rail cars and more.We study how ocean-dwelling fish use artificial reefs in the U.S. and beyond.
ABS Signs Electric Tugboat MoU
ABS joined Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Seatech Solutions International and Shift Clean Energy in signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop electric tugboats, part of an initiative to achieve India’s goal of becoming the ‘Global Hub for Green Shipbuilding’ by 2030.The proposed E-VOLT 50 tug aims to reduce carbon emissions, improve operational efficiency and set new benchmarks for performance and environmental sustainability in the tugboat industry.GRSE will build the platform based on the design from Seatech, and Shift will provide energy storage solutions.
New Tugs Delivered to Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority
Two next-generation Damen ASD Tugs 2813 have been delivered to the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA).Commissioned during a ceremony on December 14, the newbuilds Capt. Edward A. A. Awuviri and Nestor Percy Galley—named after two former Director Generals—were built at Damen Shipyards’ dedicated tug building facility Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam.The vessels each deliver 83 tonnes bollard pull ahead and up to 77 tonnes astern, making them capable of maneuvering the range of large vessels that use the Ghanaian ports of Takoradi and Tema…
MOL to Expand Fleet With 5 New LNG-fueled Capesize Bulkers
Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has decided to expand its fleet with the additional five newbuilding dual-fueled Capesize bulkers, which can burn either LNG or conventional marine fuel oil.Two of the vessels will be ordered to Nihon Shipyard and built by Imabari Shipbuilding, while there remaining three will be built by Chinese CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.The vessels are slated for delivery from 2026 to 2027, according to MOL. Including these five vessels, MOL will add a total of 13 LNG-fueled Capesize bulkers in their fleet.
Sanmar Delivers LNG-powered Tug to HaiSea Marine
The first new LNG-fueled escort tug built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye for HaiSea Marine has arrived in Vancouver, Canada, ahead of being transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat.HaiSea Kermode is Canada’s first LNG-fueled tugboat and will soon be joined by its sister tug HaiSea Warrior to form a fleet of five with three Sanmar-built electric-powered emissions-free ElectRA harbor tugs. The two Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats are based on the RAstar 4000 DF design from Vancouver-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.At 40.2 m in length…
Containership Strikes Floating Bridge in the Suez Canal
A container ship collided with a floating bridge in the eastern lane of the Suez Canal on Wednesday but the passage of ships through the waterway was not interrupted, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said.Tugboats helped the One Orpheus after it suffered a fault with its rudder while transiting the canal on its way from Singapore to the Netherlands, the authority said in a statement.The incident occurred in the eastern lane of the middle section of the canal, built as an expansion that was completed in 2015.Convoys of ships coming from the south were diverted along the original branch of the can
Third Battery Electric Tug Delivered to HaiSea Marine
A third battery electric tugboat built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye has been delivered to HaiSea Marine,Canada. Haisea Brave is scheduled to work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HaiSea Wamis and HaiSea Wee'Git before all three – along with two Sanmar-built LNG-fuelled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.HaiSea Marine is a joint venture majority owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, that will provide…
Marine News' Top Vessels of 2023
The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted a selection of the most notable American newbuilds delivered of 2023—from a first-of-its-kind green towboat, to the lead vessel in a series of game-changing ships to train U.S. mariners.Empire StateAs the lead vessel in a series of five new training ships being constructed to serve America's state maritime academies, Empire State is easily one of the most important U.S.-built vessels delivered in recent memory.Built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.
McAllister Towing Releases Its First Sustainability Report
McAllister Towing has released its inaugural sustainability report.ABS specialists worked with McAllister’s team to provide greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services, calculating the operational carbon intensity and benchmarking the performance of the McAllister fleet of more than 60 vessels, including tugboats, passenger ferries, offshore supply vessels, crew boats and barges in over 13 locations along the U.S. East Coast.The report covers topics such as McAllister’s fleet profile…