2019 started with exciting news for Turkey’s UZMAR Shipyard as they solidified their position as one of the world’s most dominant yards by delivering the first IMO Tier III emissions-compliant Escort tug to its owners in British Columbia, Canada. The contract was signed with SAAM SMIT Canada Towage Inc. (SST Canada), a joint venture partnership between BOSKALIS of the Netherlands and SAAM S.A of Chile in the first quarter of 2018.
The tug, designed by Robert Allan is a RAstar 3200W with the name Tsimshian Warrior, will join the SST fleet in Canada. In addition to being one of the greenest tugs in the world, it is modified to suit extreme local conditions with upgraded systems. The Tsimshian Warrior is powered with the new generation Cat® 3516E 2525 bkW engines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems to fulfill IMO Tier III certification requirements. These engines are driving Rolls Royce US255 CP azimuth thrusters providing 83,5 tones bollard pull ahead and vessel speed 13 knots.
This state-of-the-art tug is capable of safely performing all ship-handling duties, including berthing, unberthing and escorting in all weather conditions. The tug showcases several other notable features such as gas detection, explosion-proof deck equipment, fully equipped for LNG terminal stand-by roles with a Fi-Fi- 1 external fire-fighting system, and heavy duty escort towing equipment package suitable for rescue towing missions.
The new tug is designed to meet a stringent set of performance requirements that were carefully identified and verified by multiple real-time full-mission bridge simulations in collaboration with British Columbia Coast Pilots Ltd., Pacific Maritime Institute, Towing Solutions Inc., Lantec Marine Inc., Robert Allan Ltd., and SST Canada. These requirements include a bollard pull of 80+ tonnes and indirect escort forces of up to 120 tonnes at 10 knots.
These characteristics will make this new addition the largest and most capable escort-rated, multi-mission tug in both SST Canada’s fleet, as well as the entire West Coast of Canada.
The delivery ceremony was held at UZMAR Shipyard on February 22, 2019, and protocol of delivery was signed by Mr. Bram de Feyter, Manager New Building at Boskalis/SMIT and UZMAR CEO Mr. Noyan Altuğ in the presence of valued guests. All parties are counting the days for the tug to start operation, which sure will significantly increase towing and escort capabilities for marine safety on Canada’s West Coast.
