Sanmar deliver the tugboat 'Ulupinar 14' to its owner, UK's SMS Towage, after a 6-month charter.
Some 15 of this exclusive and versatile ASD model designed by the Robert Allan Limited team with considerable input from Ali Gurun, project director at Sanmar, have now been built. However, Ulupinar 14, although having been completed back in July 2012, has only just been handed over to its new owners, the UK’s SMS Towage with the new name of Statesman. The vessel had spent the intervening six months on a successful charter with Egyptian interests.
Measuring 24.40m x 9.15m with a maximum draft of 4.40m, there are various power options available on the Ulupinar Series but this version, utilising a propulsion arrangement comprising a pair of Caterpillar 3512 diesels, each developing 1230kW at 1,800 rev/min and driving Rolls-Royce US 155 FP azimuthing thrusters gives bollard pulls, both ahead and astern, of approximately 45 tonnes and a free-running speed of 13 knots.
Winches on both fore and aft decks with brake holding loads of 125 tons supplied by DMT, a Palfinger deck crane and Data Hidrolic tow pins provide a comprehensive deck machinery fit-out. The main tow winch has capacity for 600m of 40mm wire.
Like Statesman, the majority of the Ulupinar series so far completed have been exported. The first boat went to Schramm in Germany and this was followed by a repeat order. Several minor modifications were made to the initial design to meet strict German standards and these have been incorporated as standard in all subsequent deliveries including three which made their way to the Dominican Republic, another to Russia and three to the Middle East. Sanmar has also retained several to augment its own fleet at the Port of Mersin the leading port of southern Turkey.