Med Marine has delivered two ASD tugs in two harbours either side of the Suez Canal
In 2022, Svitzer added two new escort tugboats to its growing fleet in Egypt to enhance towage and ship handling in ports and into the Suez Canal. Turkish builder and owner, Med Marine, supplied two azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs after their construction at the Eregli Shipyard.
Svitzer Port Said 3 entered service in Port Said in April and Svitzer Suez 3 was delivered in June 2022 to enable more effective manoeuvring of ultra-large container ships using these Egyptian ports. Their delivery boosted Svitzer’s fleet of tugboats in Egypt to six vessels.
Med Marine had these built to a MED-A2885 design, based on Robert Allan Ltd-design RAstar 2800 tugs, with fire-fighting and escort notations.
These two new tugs have an overall length of 28.4 m, moulded beam of 13 m, hull depth of 5.4 m, and draught of 5.7 m.
They have bollard pull of around 75 tonnes and a speed of 12 knots, coming from propulsion consisting of two Caterpillar-supplied Cat 3516C main engines, each developing 2,100 kW at 1,600 rpm, with a slipping clutch to drive FFS-delivered fire-fighting systems.
IMO Tier II-classed engines drive two Kongsberg US 255S thrusters with fixed-pitch propellers of 280 cm diameter, turning on carbon fibre shafts.
Electrical power comes from two Caterpillar C4.4 generator sets, producing 99 kW and 1,500 rpm and at 50 Hz.
These tugs can carry 152 m3 of fuel oil and 49 m3 of fresh water, and the climate-controlled accommodation is for eight crew, including a master cabin, an engineering officer cabin, and three double-crew cabins.
Also in the machinery room is a fresh-water system, box-cooling system and a fire-fighting system with a FiFi pump of 1400 m3/hr capacity, feeding a /foam mix to two monitors. These escort tugs also have cylinder, W-shaped and D-type rubber fendering around their hulls.
On the foredeck there is a Kongsberg ETWH /720 hydraulic, /recovery escort towing winch with two rope drums and a brake hold load of 250 tonnes.
There is also a Kongsberg TWH /300 hydraulic towing winch on the aft deck, with a single rope drum with band brake of 200 tonnes and a Palfinger deck crane.
These Svitzer tugs also have Data Hidrolik quick-release, disc-type towing hooks, DTH 90-135 P on the aft and DTP 12SH towing pins and two 495 kg anchors.
In the wheelhouse are Furuno FAR-1518-BB X-band, broadband radar, GP-170 differential GPS navigation units, SC-70 satellite compass, DS-80 speedlog, FE-800 echosounder and FA-170 AIS.
Furuno also supplies Inmarsat C and VHF, MF and HF radios for communications and BR-500 bridge watch navigation systems. Jotron supplies TRON 60S epirbs and AIS-Sart and Simrad the AP70 Mk2 autopilot.
Svitzer Port Said 3 particulars
Owner: Svitzer
Country of operation: Egypt
Builder: Med Marine, Turkey
Designer: Robert Allan Ltd
Design: MED-A2885 / RAstar 2800
Length, oa: 28.4 m
Beam, oa: 13 m
Depth: 5.4 m
Draught: 5.7 m
Bollard pull: 75 tonnes
Speed: 12 knots
Main engines: 2 x Cat 3516C, 2,100 kW at 1,600 rpm
Generators: 2 x Caterpillar C4.4 99 kW and 1,500 rpm, 50 Hz
Propulsion: 2 x Kongsberg US 255S
Accommodation: 8
