UK-based developer and producer of marine engines Rolls-Royce has received orders from two major shipbuilding companies, namely the Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards and Shanghai’s Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group.
As part of the contract with Sanmar, the company said it has signed a letter of intent for the supply of MTU engines for the Class RAstar 2800-E Azimuth Stern Drive tugs currently being built by Sanmar. The tugs will be powered solely by MTU Series 16V 4000 M63 and M63L engines and by a Rolls-Royce or Schottel propeller system.
“This collaboration is an important step for us. The Turkish tug market is highly competitive,” said Ekrem Kuraloğlu, Managing Director of MTU Turkey.
“With this agreement, MTU is now becoming a key supplier of Sanmar,” he said.
Sanmar Shipyards will deliver the first tugs to the Danish tug operator Svitzer in the fourth quarter of 2016. The tug vessels, which deliver a bollard pull of 70 tonnes, will be used in terminals.
Additionally, the company received a contract from Sinopacific to equip nine SPA80A Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels.
According to the contract, the vessels will be designed and built by Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group and owned and operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, ESNAAD.
Each ship will have a bollard pull of 80 metric tonnes, and be equipped with Bergen diesel engines, main and tunnel thrusters, electrical power system and a deck machinery package from Rolls-Royce.
The vessels will be built at Sinopacific’s Zhejiang Shipyard and the first vessel is due for delivery in 2017.