MTU high-speed engines for powerful Sanmar-built tugs

The news concerns two separate orders for the supply of a total of 12 MTU engines, the MTU brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. The contract of note covers eight MTU Series 4000 engines for Danish towage giant Svitzer. The deal also includes an option for a further four engines.

The eight 16V 4000 M73L MTU engines, each delivering 2,700kW (at 1,850rpm) will power four terminal tugs to be operated by Svitzer in Tanger-Med Port, Morocco. This latest batch of orders means 50% of the current tugs built by Sanmar Shipyards are fitted with MTU engines, a collaboration that has been in place since 2009.

The tugs for Svitzer are Robert Allan Ltd RAstar 2900SX (Sanmar exclusive) designs and according to MTU it will be the first occasion high-speed engines have been used to power harbour tugs of this bollard pull. Knut Müller, head of Marine and Government Business Division at MTU states: ‘To date, it has only been possible to use medium-speed engines for harbour tugs with a bollard pull of over 85 tonnes. We are delighted that we have now been successful in entering this market.’

The speed of the engine has been reduced to 1,850 rpm specifically for this application in order to provide the shipyard with direct control of the propeller without an intermediate gearbox.

The RAstar 2900SX tugs have a length of just under 30m and are scheduled to join Svitzer’s ever-expanding fleet in 2018 on the back of Tanger-Med Port’s operators signing of a 20-year contract with Svitzer for the provision of terminal towage services. The port is strategically located on the north-west coast of Africa close to the entrance of the Mediterranean and Strait of Gibraltar and is the second busiest container port on the African continent.

Ali Gürün, projects director of Sanmar Shipyards, commented: ‘We were impressed by MTU’s technical support, the service and the reliability of the MTU engines, which is why we will also be equipping our new Robert Allan RAstar 2900SX tugs with MTU engines.’

In the second deal, MTU and Sanmar have signed an agreement for the delivery of four 16V 4000 M63 engines, each delivering 2,000kW for two tugs with a 70 tonne bollard pull, these new contracts bringing the number of Sanmar-built tugs fitted with MTU engines to 16.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems is based in Germany and employs around 10,000 people and its MTU-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems are supplied for: marine; power generation; heavy land; rail; defence and oil and gas industry applications.

By Peter Barker