Recently launched vessels include those ordered by US and Russian operators while a Spanish yard has begun construction of an offshore tug. A Danish towage operator has awarded contracts to overseas builders as part of its fleet expansion efforts.
Russian shipbuilder Nobel Brothers floated out a new tug at its Yaroslavl facilities in a ceremony on Friday, August 14.
The tug belongs to the Project 3262 series, which was designed to also be capable of icebreaking along coastal and inland waterways. Design work on the series was undertaken in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping requirements, including those under the Arc4 ice notation.
The tug will be operated primarily on the Neva River following her delivery to the Committee for Nature Management, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of Saint Petersburg.
Danish towage operator Svitzer has awarded Indian shipbuilder Swan Defence and Heavy Industries (SDHI) a contract for the construction of four new harbour tugs in a series.
The 32-metre tugs will be built to a design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL). Construction will take place at SDHI's yard in Gujarat.
Kasper Friis Nilaus, Chief Executive Officer of Svitzer, said that the RAL tug series will offer, "significant benefits to customers in terms of releasing operational constraints and improving port productivity, sustainability and safety margins."
Danish towage company Svitzer has placed an order for a new ASD harbour tug as part of the expansion of its operations in the UK.
Following delivery, the tug will enter service in the Port of Bristol, where it will perform a range of harbour towage operations. This will be the first tug in a series to be deployed by Svitzer in Bristol.
The tug is scheduled to be handed over in late 2026.
Spain's Balenciaga Shipyard has laid the keel of a new offshore support tug.
The tug is the first vessel to be constructed by Balenciaga following its acquisition by Safeen Drydocks, a subsidiary of UAE-based AD Ports Group, earlier this year.
The tug will be based on a design by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd.
Shipbuilder Washburn and Doughty Associates has launched a new harbour tug ordered by McAllister Towing and Transportation Company of New York.
Mary McAllister is the sixth tug in a new series ordered by McAllister Towing. Three of her earlier sisters are Jane McAllister, Isabel McAllister, and Gerard McAllister.
Upon completion, the tug will have a length of 93 feet (28 metres), a beam of 38 feet (12 metres), and draught of 17 feet (5.2 metres). Two Caterpillar 3516E US EPA Tier IV engines will drive Schottel SRP 490 Z-drives housing fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a bollard pull of 84 tonnes.
