Turkish shipyard Uzmar and Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) have signed an agreement to design and build a new series of methanol-fuelled tugboats.
These new designs, exclusive to Uzmar, represent a new generation of lower emission tugs that Uzmar’s clients are demanding in order to meet decarbonisation targets. The agreement covers four new designs, with LOA between 26m and 32m, which will feature improved energy efficiency and will be able to generate significant CO2 emissions savings. The methanol fuelled series will include one tractor tug design.
RAL CEO Mike Fitzpatrick said: “It is an exciting step forward for us to sign these new design contracts with Uzmar. The close cooperation between RAL and Uzmar that has developed over more than 25 years of working together facilitates the efficient transfer of knowledge between our engineering teams. I am confident that we will successfully execute these milestone projects as we have done many times together in the past.”
Uzmar CEO Ahmet Noyan Altuğ added: “According to our research that has been ongoing for more than five years, our team believes that within the alternative fuels to fossil fuels, the most applicable and efficient choice for tugboats is methanol. With our long-standing camaraderie and mutual understanding with RAL, we always overcame challenging projects with great success. Signing contracts for this new methanol-powered design series exclusive to Uzmar is a step toward a new era for all of us. We aim to start building the tugs in the last quarter of 2022, and we will reveal the specifications in the following days.”
Uzmar is planning to replace all the tugboats in its fleet with eco-friendly newbuilds and offer the global market a solution to their needs for sustainable lower emission vessels.
