Sanmar has held a steel cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction in a major project to provide four of its electric battery-powered ‘Tugs of the Future’ for Türkiye’s state-owned Botaş Petroleum Pipeline Corporation.
Botaş has ordered four missions-free tugs based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2500-SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. Hull numbers 379, 380, 381 and 382, will, when completed at the Altinova Shipyard, each be capable of achieving 70t bollard pull ahead, a speed of around 12 knots and have accommodation for a crew of up to eight.
Each will be equipped with 5,085kWh battery banks as well as back-up diesel gensets for fire-fighting and range-extended endurance.
Cem Seven, Vice Chairman of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “The world is going through a significant transformation process with the transition to the use of environmentally friendly fuels. In line with IMO’s goals, the sector is expected to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In this context, the importance of alternative fuels in maritime is increasing. It is seen that the most suitable solution for tugboats and marine vehicles to be used in port services is electric drive systems. We wish the four ElectRA 2500-SX tugboats with 70t of bollard pull to be beneficial for BOTAŞ, and we thank them for their trust in Sanmar Shipyards and their environmentally friendly approach.”
Erdinç Deli, LNG Operations Manager, Botaş, said: “First of all, on behalf of BOTAŞ family, we would like to thank to the valued executives and employees of our contractor, SANMAR, for their kind invitation to the steel cutting ceremony for our project to supply four electric tugboats. We are jointly starting the manufacturing process of four electric tugboats, which will be used in the manoeuvres of LNG carriers that will berth at Botaş Marmara Ereğlisi LNG Terminal and Botaş Saros FSRU Terminals, which have strategic importance for ensuring our country’s energy security. As you know, the maritime sector is one of the sectors which is severely affected by global warming and climate change. Hence, transitioning to environmentally friendly technologies is of critical importance for both the future of our sector and the future of our world. Moreover, our cooperation with Sanmar, which is in line with the ‘Fossil Fuel-Free Maritime Industry’ targets included in our National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, will be a significant milestone in this transition. I believe that this journey we are starting here today will open a new chapter in the maritime sector and contribute to providing a cleaner world for future generations. I thank you all and wish success in our project.”
Sanmar’s ElectRA Series tugboats are the result of the builder’s ongoing collaboration with Robert Allan Ltd and Corvus Energy to build low- and no-emission tugs utilising alternative fuels and innovative technological advances to protect the environment and build a sustainable tug and towing industry.
Image: Steel cutting ceremony for four zero-emission tugs at Sanmar (source: Sanmar Shipyards)
