Svitzer books latest TRAnsverse tug quartet in Hong Kong

December 16, 2024, by Sara Kosmajac

Pushing its global fleet renewal plans a step further, global towage and marine services provider Svitzer has signed a contract with Hong Kong’s Cheoy Lee Shipyards for four new eco-friendly TRAnsverse tugs, with an option for an additional quartet of the same type.

Credit: Svitzer

The company has disclosed that the booked TRAnsverse 2900 units—designed in collaboration with Canadian naval architectural and marine engineering firm Robert Allan—are slated for delivery in 2026.

The quartet will boast an overall length of 29 meters, and deliver bollard pulls of up to 80 tonnes. The tugs reportedly have a top speed of 13 knots and 8 knots of side-stepping.

Moreover, their ‘omnidirectional’ hull form and propulsion are expected to help with ‘higher’ steering and breaking forces than similar-sized ASD tugs, but with lower fuel consumption, according to Svitzer.

It is understood that the contract signed between the two parties means that the company now has seven tugs on order for its TRAnsverse design, while one is already in operation.

As explained, although the new vessels are planned as fleet replacements globally, they can also be deployed in new growth projects, hence the additional four units that Svitzer said can be called on “in case of need.”

“This order enables us to continue renewing our fleet to deliver on our customers’ needs and our decarbonization targets, while providing a strong basis for engaging in growth projects,” Kasper Karlsen, Chief Operating Officer at Svitzer, commented.

“The new TRAnsverse tug will undoubtedly be our preferred design going forward and with even more of these tugs in our fleet, we are able to continuously improve operational capabilities and fuel efficiency to the benefit of our customers as well as the environment.”

The first-ever TRAnsverse Tug was built for harbor towage in Svitzer Europe, following a contract signed between Svitzer, Robert Allan and Türkiye’s Sanmar Shipyards in late 2021.

The same year when the inaugural tug was to be delivered, namely in 2023, Svitzer shook hands with the Canadian architectural firm and the Turkish Uzmar Shipyard to build two more of the tugs for the towage provider’s Australian business.

Back then, the companies said that this new duo would deliver an estimated 10-15% reduction in fuel consumption, in addition to it being built to a specification that would enable biofuel operations to bring tank-to-wake carbon emissions to zero. Svitzer also noted that the units would be deployed to its Port of Newcastle (NSW) operations in 2025, becoming the first TRAnsverse tugs to be deployed to Australia, and only the second and third globally.