The vessel will be named Svitzer Saham and will join her two sisters (Svitzer Sohar and Svitzer Shinas) along with two other earlier deliveries to the same customer.

The arrival of this tug at the Port of Sohar will conclude the operator, Svitzer and Port of Sohar 's current fleet development goals; agreed as part of the 15 year renewal of the marine services contract for formers, awarded in early 2019.

Together, these five tugs will deliver a powerful 340 tons of total bollard pull across the new fleet; giving the port the confidence and assurance to handle the ever-increasing demands for safe towing from modern shipping well into the future. Mobilisation to the Port of Sohar from Turkey will commence imminently under the direction of a Sanmar delivery crew.

The Bigacay class is delivering the port an entirely new level of tug power and performance.

“The Bigaçay series was developed with our design partners Robert Allan Ltd. (RAL) for Sanmar exclusively and is a variant of the RAstar range described as RAstar 2900SX; compact tugs aimed at ensuring efficient construction while still meeting the customization requirements of discerning clients," said Gary Dockerty, Sales Director Middle East and Africa.

The design has a sponsoned hull shape which has been proven to deliver significantly enhanced towing escort and seakeeping performance.

In recent years, Svitzer had previously placed orders with Sanmar Shipyards for a total of 25 tugs, 23 ASDs and 2 ATDs, which were employed in fulfilling various towage contracts. Sanmar Shipyards were selected for their outstanding safety performance, quality of construction, quick delivery time and competitive price.

Maritime Business World