Tugboat Operator News

The Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT) announced it has acquired a 62-year-old fireboat from the city of Cleveland, Ohio.The vessel, Anthony J. Celebrezze, was constructed in 1961 by Paach Marine in Erie, Pa. and was used by the Cleveland Fire Department until it was replaced with a new vessel, Garret A. Morgan, in June 2023 and put up for auction.Auction data shows the vessel was sold on November 14 for just over $41,000, including a 12.5% buyer's premium.GLT said its Great Lakes Shipyard division is very familiar with the Anthony J.

Excessive speed during an advanced harbor-assist maneuver led to a tugboat colliding with a containership in the Houston Ship Channel last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.The tugboat George M and containership MSC Aquarius collided on April 14, 2022, while the tugboat was positioning for a ship-assist maneuver and the containership was transiting north in the Houston Ship Channel. No injuries were reported. About 1,000 gallons of gear oil were released from the damaged George M’s port propulsion unit.

A Russian court on the Pacific island of Sakhalin has ordered the provisional seizure of four tugboats belonging to Denmark's Svitzer, the world's biggest tugboat operator, at the request of a Russian energy company. Moscow has been seizing the assets of some Western companies which have left the country or are scaling back their business there in response to the conflict in Ukraine and Western sanctions. A court ruling dated April 24 said it had ordered the tugboats seized in response to a request by Sakhalin Energy…

Sanmar Shipyards and IGUS joined forces to develop and build a new electric bunkering system that is designed to be compact and able to supply a variety vessel types with onshore power.To this end, the companies have designed and built the Shore Power Dispenser System which can be operated by just one crew member.According to the companies, the modular design allows an extension of the dispenser system to provide higher charging power capacities easily. Each cable dispenser module can handle 500A current capacity (up to 1000V AC).For Sanmar…

SAAM Towage has launched operations in Peru as the Valparaíso, Chile-based tugboat operator continues its growth plans in the Americas. “We are taking the first steps at the Port of Callao, which lets us provide better coverage on the southern Pacific coast,” said SAAM Towage managing director, Hernán Gómez. “We are interested in this market and foresee leveraging our broad network in the region. Our strategy is to preserve our leadership position and play an important role in the industry's consolidation process.”Having already opened offices and hired personnel in Callao…

Wilson Sons creates intelligent tool to expedite tug maintenance   Brazil's largest tugboat operator has developed a chat bot that simulates conversations and handles demands for fleet repairs to help expedite diagnosis and services of corrective maintenance.Wilson Sons said it developed the intelligent tool to expedite tug maintenance  across its fleet of 80 tugboats. Designed by Tuglab, the company's innovation laboratory, and by the Maintenance and IT areas, a chat bot—a robot…

Tug owners are cutting emissions and increasing automation. Subject to technology choices, ‘greener’ tugs are a global phenomenon today, while the autonomous tugs of tomorrow are starting to emerge. David Lee S,enior Account Manager, New Build, ABB Marine & Ports, discusses tugs of the future.Around the world, there is a growing appetite for hybrid and electric technology in tugboat operations. In the Asian and European towage markets, owners are responding to increasingly stringent regulations on air emissions in ports by investing in cleaner, more efficient propulsion.

Tokyo Kisen Co., Ltd. and e5 Lab Inc. have jointly developed the new concept design of “e5 Tug,” electric propulsion harbor tugboat powered by large-capacity battery and a hydrogen fuel cell.The e5 Tug is a harbor tug fully electrified and designed to minimize environmental footprint and is equipped with a propulsion system running on “e5 powertrain platform”, devised and planned by e5 Lab, which utilizes a large-capacity battery system as a main power source and a hydrogen fuel…

Turkish shipbuilder and tugboat operator Med Marine signed a contract for a MED-A2360 series tugboat with Saam Guatemala for its Puerto Quetzal operations.The vessel is a RAmparts 2300-MM tugboat, designed exclusively for Med Marine. She is named as Saam Itza and the delivery is set for June 2019.Med Marine built 6 units of the same design with 50 TBP some of which were recently sold; some are being operated in Med Marine’s own fleet.ASD type high-quality vessel is designed for harbour and terminal operations, and coastal towing. She has the length of 23,00m, the beam of 10,90m and the depth of 4,4m.The RAmparts 2300-MM tugs are compliant with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) with high-quality and great-comfort accommodation…

How does a tugboat operator with over 26 vessels used in docking, escort, ocean towing and articulated barge service get control of maintenance issues? In this case, by switching to Klüberplex BEM 41-132 grease to lower operating temperatures between 2 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit (3.6 and 18 Celsius), which significantly extends grease and bearing life. The tugboat business’ success depends on the reliability of their assets and the ability to provide superior customer service.

Humber tugboat operator SMS Towage has drawn on an old name for the latest addition to its fleet. The new Englishman is the 11th Humber tug to bear the title, in a tradition stretching back to the 19th century. Built at the Sanmar yard on the edge of Istanbul to a Canadian design, she produces 3,500bhp and can bring in 270m long ships of more than 170,000 metric tons dead weight. The 25m £3.5m vessel is capable of 13 knots and is among the most maneuverable on the estuary. She is one of 13 owned by Hull-based SMS Towage…

Denmark's Svitzer, the world's biggest tugboat operator, said on Monday it has established a harbour towage service in the Port of Montreal providing shipdocking, escort and ice-breaking services. Svitzer, a unit in shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk , said in a statement it has mobilized two ice-class tugs to the port and a third tug will arrive in mid-April. "Canada is one of our key growth markets in the Americas," the company added. Svitzer reshuffled its organisation in August in a bet to speed up growth in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Reporting by Ole Mikkelsen

Sanmar A.Ş.delivered the Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar3200Wescort tugs Civitavecchia and Saraceno Primo to Italian tugboat operator Italtugs S.p.A. The tugs were constructed at Sanmar’s Tuzla facility, the greenest shipyard in Turkey. The RAstarOffshore/Escort Tugs designation is reserved for a unique class of ASD tugs, designed with a sponsoned hull form, a concept originated by Robert Allan Ltd. 20 years ago, and which has been proven in both model and full-scale testing to provide significantly enhanced escort towing and seakeeping performance. Motions and accelerations are less than half those of comparable sized “standard” tug hulls. It is interesting to note that others are now attempting to emulate this concept.

Tugboat builder and operator Sanmar Denizcilik is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. More than 150 tugboats benefiting from its wealth of experience are presently in operation on international seas, the company says. It was in the year 1976 that Orhan Gürün, today’s company chairman, together with his dear friend, the late Gökçen Seven, incorporated Sanmar Denizcilik. Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Sanmar has developed into a force on two fronts, firstly as a tugboat…

The delivery of tug Civitavecchia to the Italian tugboat operator Italtugs for its operation at a Sicilian oil terminal represents another milestone in the tchnical cooperation between Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey and the Canadian naval architects, Robert Allan Limited. Combining Sanmar’s experience as an international tugboat operator with RAL’s design expertise has resulted in some 150 vessels being built at either of the former’s custom-built shipyards. Now, this latest delivery is the first vessel of the Ulucay Class which is based on the RAstar 3200W design.

Sanmar AS, a tugboat operator and builder in Turkey, has invested in another shipyard. The new shipyard is located in Altinova, where construction has already begun on several vessels. When totally completed, the new shipyard will be approximately 50,000m2 in total, of which 26,000m2 will comprise a covered and closed production area. Sanmar informs that the infrastructure is being designed to ensure maximum standards of health and safety, also respecting the needs of the environment. Sanmar said it aims to be the greenest shipyard in Turkey.

Tugboat workers at Australia's biggest iron ore port have approved a plan to go on strike, which would halt a quarter of the world's iron ore exports, if they are unable to resolve a dispute over leave and pay, their union said on Monday. Deckhands in the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) voted to strike for one, two or seven days, but remain in talks with tugboat operator Teekay Shipping Australia to resolve the dispute, the union said. No date or timeframe has been set for a strike, which would halt iron ore shipments by BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group. Together they supply more than half of Australia's iron ore exports. "Industrial…

Danish conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk may announce a second share buyback scheme in its 110-year history as early as Wednesday, analysts said, allowing it to reward shareholders as its oil unit takes a battering from a slump in prices. Further divestments from its large portfolio of companies may also be on the radar, funding any buybacks or at least increased dividends, with the world's largest container shipping company focusing more closely on the shipping and oil industries. Maersk's will present its fourth quarter results at 0700 GMT on Wednesday. Net profit is expected to rise 9.8 percent to $1.0 billion, boosted by a 59 percent rise in container shipping but hit by a 50 percent drop in its oil business.

Today at the SMM 2014 exhibition, GE announced it will showcase a variety of cutting-edge projects and solutions to meet demands of the global commercial and naval marine industry. According to Afra Gerstenfeld, General Manager of Transportation’s Marine group, “The products and services GE provides can help customers operate ships more efficiently, reduce emissions and meet stringent global environmental regulations. •    Dongwon Industries-- one of the world's largest tuna fishery companies -- will use two 16V250 GE Marine diesel engines to power two 80-meter-long tuna purse seiners. The first ship is scheduled for commissioning in late 2015. This is the second GE diesels order from Dongwon. Local support is provided by GE’s regional distributor, YusinHR.

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln was president, and the U.S. was embroiled in the midst of civil war. In 1864, McAllister Towing was established (originally as the Greenpoint Lighterage Co.) in New York City. McAllister Towing has persevered, and at times, served, through nine wars, 28 presidents, at least three catastrophic stock market crashes; collapsing oil prices, generations of advances in ship technology and vessel construction and design; and an explosion in maritime regulation.

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said its four subsidiaries with activities in Russia continue to operate as planned despite the recent sharp drop in oil price and the rouble's collapse. "The Group's business with Russia amounts to some two to three percent of our total revenue. In the current situation, where Russian purchasing power and foreign trade is negatively impacted, our shipping business in Russia is also affected," A.P. Moller-Maersk wrote in an mail to Reuters. World's largest container shipping company Maersk Line, port operator APM Terminals, logistic company Damco and the world's biggest tugboat operator Svitzer are all active in Russia.

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk said its four subsidiaries with activities in Russia continue to operate as planned despite the recent sharp drop in oil price and the rouble's collapse. "The Group's business with Russia amounts to some two to three percent of our total revenue. In the current situation, where Russian purchasing power and foreign trade is negatively impacted, our shipping business in Russia is also affected," A.P. Moller-Maersk wrote in an mail to Reuters. World's largest container shipping company Maersk Line…

Marine insurance – just like health, automobile and homeowner’s insurance – can be a valuable safeguard in case something unexpected happens. And when something bad happens, it provides reassurance that you have assistance in place to help get back to business quickly. In the maritime industry, there is a high likelihood that your businesses will experience a loss at some point. Vessels run aground, cargo containers get damaged, and fires occur in shipyards. These are just some of the types of situations that can – and do – happen routinely to maritime owners and operators. Knowing these risks exist, you should ask yourself two questions to make sure your business is prepared: First, what can I do to mitigate the risk of loss before an incident occurs?