Rolls-Royce Inks Tug Deal with Svitzer

Rolls-Royce has signed a 10-year service agreement with the global towage and marine services operator  Svitzer covering spare parts deliveries in six countries for a fleet of 17 tugs powered by MTU-brand Series 4000 engines.

The agreement – named Global Frame Value Care Agreement (VCA) – covers spare parts deliveries in 6 countries.

In VCA, the cost of maintenance services is being tied to the engine up-time. This is the first maintenance contract of its kind to be signed by Svitzer. The preventive maintenance arrangement preserves engine availability for Svitzer while contributing to optimal life-cycle costs.

Danish founded towage company Svitzer currently operates 17 vessels with MTU Series 4000 units on board. Among them are the world's first harbor tugs with 90 tons bollard pull powered by high-speed diesel engines. These have been in service in the Tanger-Med cargo port in Morocco since 2018. Other vessels are deployed in Brazil, Costa-Rica, Denmark, Great Britain and Germany.

Also included in the fleet is the tug Svitzer Hermod, the first commercial vessel to demonstrate remote operation, which is likewise powered by twin MTU 16V4000 M63 diesel units.

As part of the agreement, the Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems will ensure that exactly the right spare parts for a vessel are made ready in the right place at the right time for each scheduled maintenance. This approach will allow Svitzer to have focus on efficiency in the technical management and operation of the vessels in scope, while spare parts planning, scheduling and deliveries are handled by Rolls-Royce.

“We are highly satisfied with the performance of the MTU engines in our day-to-day operation and with our cooperation with Rolls-Royce since 2016. The global frame agreement provides the basis for long-term collaboration and it will enable us to further optimize our vessel running costs while maintaining a smooth and reliable operation at the same time,” said Kasper Gottlieb, Head of Global Procurement at Svitzer.

“As part of the current Technical Operating Model within Svitzer we want to focus further on our main equipment performance and reliability. It is our belief that the maintenance agreement with Rolls-Royce will give a great support on the current journey of Svitzer on defining the actual life cycle costs of our main equipment components” said Evangelos Fragkoulis, Chief Technical Officer of Svitzer.

Svitzer is part of the Maersk group. With a 4,000-strong workforce it operates 440 vessels in 120 ports across 34 countries. In addition to towage services in ports and terminals, Svitzer provides a wide range of other marine services, including emergency response.