Svitzer's two newest tugs recently arrived in Panama following their delivery voyage from Turkey.
Isla Popa and Isla Uva were built by Turkey's Med Marine to a design by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. Each tug has a length of 25.9 metres, a beam of 12.8 metres, a draught of 6.1 metres, a gross tonnage of less than 400, and accommodation for a crew of six.
Each tug's propulsion can deliver a speed of 12 knots and a bollard pull of 65 tons. According to the builder, their design is intended to provide manoeuvrability and directional stability.
The tugs will be operated in the Panama Canal. They will assist vessels in entering and exiting locks as well as during transit through the Culebra Cut, which the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) said is one of the most challenging sections of the waterway.
The PCA said the tugs will be operated under a charter agreement signed with Svitzer, which allows operational capacity to be expanded without compromising financial efficiency or flexibility in fleet management.