VESSEL REVIEW | Saam Condor – Saam Towage deploys newest tug for Peru operations

Chilean towage operator Saam Towage recently added a newbuild ASD harbour tug to its fleet in Peru.

Saam Condor was built by Sanmar Shipyards of Turkey to a design by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL). It is one in a series of six that includes near identical sister tugs Saam Halcon III currently deployed in Chile, Saam Albatros in Peru, and Saam Palenque, Saam Quibian, and Saam Valparaiso in Panama. All six tugs were designed with low manning in mind and thus boast a high standard of machinery automation that further contributes to their overall efficiency.

Saam selected this particular tug design, which was developed by RAL exclusively for manufacture by Sanmar, for its total installed power combined with a compact hull size that is particularly useful in ports with more restrictive waters that leave relatively little room for manoeuvring.

Cristian Cifuentes, Country Manager of Saam Towage Chile, said that Saam Condor‘s design characteristics make it an energy-efficient vessel, thus contributing to the company’s tug optimisation strategy.

The new tug has an LOA of 24.4 metres, a moulded beam of 11.25 metres, a depth of 5.6 metres, and the standard RAL tug layout with a wheelhouse that offers full 360-degree visibility to provide the crew with enhanced situational awareness. The fuel and freshwater capacities are at 72.4 cubic metres and 10.8 cubic metres, respectively.

Power is provided by two Caterpillar 3516C engines that drive Kongsberg US205 azimuthing thrusters housing fixed-pitch propellers. The engines each produce 2,100 kW at 1,600 rpm to deliver a bollard pull of just over 70 tonnes and a speed of approximately 12 knots. Resilient mountings are also incorporated to minimise the noise that is generated by the engines, the hydraulic pipes, and other essential equipment.

The tug also boasts firefighting equipment that consists of two monitors and a pump driven by the port main engine and with a discharge rate of 2,700 cubic metres per hour.

The tug’s accommodation spaces include a mess/lounge, a galley, two toilets with showers, a laundry room, single cabins above deck for the captain and the chief engineer, and two double cabins below deck for the remaining four crew. All crew spaces are MLC-compliant and are equipped with HVAC.

Like its five sisters, Saam Condor was built in accordance to ABS class requirements, including the Unrestricted Service and Fire Fighting Vessel 1 notations.

The new tug sails under the Panamanian flag but will be operated primarily out of the Port of Callao on Peru’s Pacific coast.

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