She has worked alongside her diesel mechanical sisters in the Izmit Bay fleet since her addition to the Sanmar operated fleet on February 25, 2020, following her certifying ceremony at Sanmar's Tuzla Shipyard.

A primary benefit of the CAT AVD system is the continuously variable transmission which, like a slipping clutch, can modulate propeller speeds down to 0 rpm.

The vessel can also spin the propeller faster than would be necessary if the engine was directly attached to the motor, enabling the engines to run in their peak efficiency zone instead of running at higher average fuel oil consumption along the demand curve of the propeller, resulting in substantial fuel savings.

Other benefits include increased responsiveness and acceleration, and lower overall maintenance costs due to substantially shortened working hours on the main engines.

With this system the engines are smaller than in a tug of this power usually would be the case. The extra power needed to achieve full bollard pull comes from the C32 motor, which also drives the Fi-Fi pump.

Boğaçay XXXVIII achieved a bollard pull of 70.35 tonnes, and a free running speed of 13.3 knots.

This first of its kind will now continue to provide useful savings data on OPEX related to expected fuel consumption reductions and projected maintenance costs compared to their mechanical diesel counterparts, sharing identical operating profiles at the same venue.

Maritime Business World