Saam News

SAAM closed 2025 with record financial performance, underscoring the continued strength of its harbor towage business across the Americas while positioning the company for further international expansion. For a company that has spent the past several years reshaping its business model and sharpening its strategic focus, the results signal both operational momentum and growing scale in the global tug market.The Chile-based maritime services provider reported net income of $80.4 million for 2025, while EBITDA reached $216.9 million, representing a 15% increase compared to the previous year.

Turkish tugboat builder Sanmar Shipyards has further reinforced its partnership with SAAM Towage through the delivery of a Boğaçay-Class tug that will operate in Latin America.The vessel, which has been named SAAM GUANAY, is based on the RAmparts 2400SX-MKII design by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd and becomes the 13th Sanmar-built tug in the SAAM Towage fleet.Designed for optimum performance in ship-handling operations, the tug measures 24.4m in length, with a 12m beam, 4.5m molded depth, and a 5.45m draft.

In a strategic step to consolidate the country's industrial and export capacity, the ASENAV shipyard and multinational towage services company SAAM signed their first shipbuilding contract.The agreement outlines the manufacturing of a tugboat in Valdivia, designed under the strictest international standards. Construction is expected to take approximately 15 months, with the vessel scheduled to join SAAM's fleet in Canada during the first half of 2027.The vessel, a RAstar 3200W model designed by Robert Allan, will be 32 meters long and have over 80 tons of bollard pull.

For the third consecutive year, SAAM Towage obtained the PAS 2060 international certification in Brazil, which certifies the carbon neutrality of its operations in that country.In addition to operational actions to reduce the intensity of Scope 1 and 2 emissions, carbon credits were purchased to offset 100% of these emissions.This progress encourages SAAM to continue deepening its efforts in energy efficiency and environmental management, which are part of its Sustainability Strategy…

Towage company SAAM posted net income of US$64 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, 48% more than the same period last year.EBITDA reached $158 million (+15%) and revenue totaled $463 million (+8%).The third quarter figures were particularly positive compared to the previous year, with profit of $24 million (+97%), revenue of $161 million (+12%) and EBITDA of $58 million (+23%)."We had record earnings this quarter, thanks to increased activity and a better mix of services, combined with greater operational efficiencies in our two business areas: towage and air logistics.

There’s an obvious fuel saving advantage, but partnering energy storage systems with new fuels brings other advantages too.There’s a new generation of vessels emerging which is exemplified by Grimaldi’s PCTC Grande Shanghai, claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 50% compared to previous-generation car carriers, and the NCL Vestland, a container feeder vessel similarly claimed to reduce energy consumption per TEU per nautical mile by 63%.What these vessels have in common is a propulsion system that combines energy storage systems and new fuels.As Henrik Helgesen…

SAAM, the largest towage operator in the Americas, has introduced Trapananda, the first fully electric tugboat in Latin America, developed in partnership with Chile’s national oil company Enap. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL), built by Sanmar Shipyards, and powered by a Corvus Energy lithium-ion battery system, the tug will operate at Puerto Chacabuco in southern Chile.Measuring 25m with a 70-ton bollard pull, Trapananda will assist vessel maneuvers under challenging harbor conditions.

SAAM Towage, the largest towage operator in the Americas, has added two new units to its fleet: the SAAM Petrel and the SAAM Charrán. These modern ships, designed by the firm Robert Allan and built at the Sanmar shipyard in Turkey.Their names—SAAM Petrel and SAAM Charrán—pay homage to seabirds native to the coasts of Chile and Peru, following a SAAM Towage tradition dating back 60 years to the company's founding.SAAM Petrel. © SAAM TowageThe SAAM Petrel is on its way to the Port of Arica in Chile.

SAAM christened Trapananda, reported to be the first electric tugboat in Latin America. Thanks to a strategic partnership with Enap, the electric tug will operate in one of the southernmost terminals in the world, Puerto Chacabuco, in the Aysén Region, supporting ship berthing and deberthing operations.The tug measures 25 x 13m and brings 70 tons of bollard pull capacity, enabling it to assist large vessels in challenging harbor conditions. The craft is equipped with two, 2,100-kW electric azimuth thrusters and is powered by a 3…

SANMAR has delivered another two Boğaçay Class tugs to Americas’ largest operator SAAM Towage.The tugs are based on the exclusive-to-SANMAR RAmparts 2400SX MK-II design from Canadian Naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, which incorporates the latest in advanced machinery automation for high operational efficiency and minimal environmental impact.The twin Z-drive, diesel-powered vessels can achieve 80 tonnes of bollard pull and are equipped with FiFi 1 firefighting capability.Measuring 24.4m in overall length…

Construction is underway of six more emissions-free fully electric ElectRA Series tugboats at Sanmar’s shipyards in Türkiye.Part of a project unveiled in 2021, a total of eight ElectRA tugs have been delivered so far and are now operating in Europe and America.Among those under construction is an ElectRA 2500SX for international operator Svitzer, which is due to be delivered in the second half of 2025, after which it will operate in the waters between Sweden and Denmark.Each ElectRA tug eliminates approximately 1,700 tons of CO2 per annum compared to modern diesel-powered alternatives.

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has announced a 12% rise in employment contracts for Panamanian seafarers during the first four months of 2025, a promising result attributed to the strategic efforts led by the Seafarer Recruitment Committee.During the closing session of the Committee’s 17th meeting, Felipe Arias, Acting Director General of Seafarers (DGGM), reaffirmed the PMA’s steadfast commitment to generating quality employment within the maritime, logistics, and port sectors.

AAM Towage and Caterpillar Marine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to evaluate and implement alternative power solutions to diesel, including electrification and alternative fuels such as methanol and ethanol, for the tug fleet.Both companies are already working on a dual-fuel engine—the Cat® 3500E—which will use methanol and is expected to begin testing this year.SAAM Towage is active in towage and marine services at more than 90 ports in 13 countries in the Americas.

The first electric tugboat in Latin America, which will operate in Chile thanks to an agreement between Enap and SAAM Towage, continues to advance with the latest sea trials and bollard pull testing at the shipyard vicinity in Tuzla Bay, Istanbul.This process inspects compliance with technical specifications and verifies the static behavior and performance of the different systems installed, thus guaranteeing safe operations.The tug, which will operate for Enap, is scheduled to arrive in Chile in the first half of 2025.

SAAM (SM SAAM) reported net income from continuing operations of $59.2 million for 2024, EBITDA of $188 million (+17% vs. 2023) and revenue of $578 million (+7%). During the year it also completed the process of integrating the assets acquired from Starnav in Brazil and Pertraly in Ecuador. It also reported net income from discontinued operations of $479 million from its port terminal and inland logistics operations sold in August 2023. The company also reported that the Board of Directors agreed to propose a final dividend of $39.2 million to shareholders at the annual general meeting.

The new line handlers joining SAAM Towage Canada's fleet were unloaded from the MV Jumbo at the Port of Vancouver on January 6th after completing their journey from Hong Kong.“These multipurpose vessels play a key role in berthing and unberthing vessels by transferring mooring lines from the ships being assisted to crews on the ground. They also assist with emergencies, rescuing people from the water and scanning for incipient changes in weather, tides and wind for pilots at the terminal where they provide services…

A sanctioned LNG tanker named "Mulan", which approached Novatek's SAAM FSU floating storage facility in Murmansk on December 21, is currently sailing around Northern Europe and heading towards Port Said in Egypt, according to LSEG data. The vessel is expected to arrive at its destination on January 6, 2025.Another LNG tanker, "Pioneer", has entered the transshipment zone at the Koryak FSU floating storage facility in Kamchatka, according to LSEG data.The Pioneer and Mulan are…

Sanmar ends 2024 strong with the launch of the first fully electric tugboat to operate in Latin America.Ordered by SAAM Towage, the new tug is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2500SX design from naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, and is the eighth fully electric tug Sanmar has built.The tug built for SAAM Towage measures 25.4 x 12.86m with a draft of 5.55m, and with a installed battery capacity 3,616 kWh can achieve a bollard pull ahead of at least 70 tonnes and a speed…

At the Sanmar shipyard, located in Tuzla Bay, Istanbul, Latin American's first electric tug was launched.The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Chile per the service agreement signed in January this year between Empresa Nacional del Petróleo (Enap) and SAAM. This advance reaffirms both companies’ commitment to the energy transition, since the tug's electric propulsion structure does not emit greenhouse gases and reduces environmental and underwater noise.After this first launch stage…

The European Union will add 27 vessels, including oil and liquefied natural gas tankers, to its list of entities under sanctions as part of its latest measures against Russia, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.EU countries adopted the 14th package of sanctions against Russia earlier on Monday. These included a ban on trans-shipments of Russian LNG off EU ports that will take effect after 9-month transition period. The full details will be published later in the EU's Official Journal.The latest list…

The Panama Canal Authority ordered 10 hybrid tractor tugboats from European shipbuilder, Astilleros Armón, with options for another 10 similar vessels, and Corvus Energy will supply the battery systems for the hybrid-electric vessels.The Panama Canal Authority / Astilleros Armón contract signed in October 2023 was valued at $150 million total for the first 10 vessels, each 30-meter tugboats with 70-tonnes bollard pull.The tugboats will be equipped with hybrid-electric propulsion systems to reduce emissions during ship towage through the Panama Canal and while docking in Panamanian ports.

At SAAM’s annual general meeting last week, Chairman Óscar Hasbún outlined the objectives for the company's new phase, following the sale of the port terminals and inland logistics division."SAAM has robust solvency and liquidity indicators and a solid capital structure for this new cycle where our objective is clear: to become a leading global operator in the towage business and a regional leader in airport logistics. We are already a benchmark in both businesses and have developed a unique operating model…

The Mongla Port Authority in Bangladesh has taken delivery of its new tug, M.T. Joymoni.The newbuild is a RAmparts 3200-CL designed by Canada's Robert Allan Ltd. and built by Cheoy Lee Shipyards, in China.The RAmparts 3200-CL was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. in 2008 exclusively for Cheoy Lee Shipyards, with the first tug, Ocean Pioneer, delivered to Ocean Sparkle in India in 2011. Based on the RAmparts series, the hull form was developed to provide a high performance, multi-function tug in a shallow draft configuration, with bollard pull of up to 85 tonnes, the designer said.M.T.