Sanmar surpasses 300 vessel completions

January was a special month for Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards, who had a record number of vessels gaining their class certificates, including six tugs and two pilot boats.

The latest deliveries also take the total number of completions for Sanmar over the 300 mark, now standing at 302, a figure that will of course rise.

Production will be boosted further this year when Sanmar’s newly acquired third yard becomes operational for construction of the new Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) ElectRA tug.

Four of the six January arrivals are Sanmar’s Kocaçay class ASD tugs, which as standard carried yard-designated names while under construction, in this case Kocaçay IV, V, VI and VII for eventual Pakistani owner PQA and to be renamed Gharo, Malir, Korangi and Pipri when delivered.

While Sanmar-exclusive RAstar 3200SX escort/terminal tugs, the quartet have slightly different machinery arrangements, the first three each having two 2,350kW main engines while vessel number four is slightly more powerful with 2,525kW engines.

Seven Kocaçay class examples are currently listed as under construction or delivered, the first and second in the series being Odin of Thor and Scapa of Thor, delivered to Orkney Islands Council in 2020. PQA also bought two Sanmar pilot boats PB Heer and PB Sassi as part of the deal.

The final two of the six completions are Boğaçay class, RAL-designed compact RAmparts 2400SX tugs.

Halcon III (built at Boğaçay XLVIII) delivers 70tbp and will operate in Chile for SAAM Towage. The second, built under the name Boğaçay XLIX and now renamed Med Capella for MedTug, has a bollard pull of 60t from twin 1,765kW engines and current data shows it located in Antwerp.

In separate news Sanmar has reported that SAFEEN Group, the marine arm of AD Ports Group, has acquired a RAmparts 2200 Sirapinar class ASD tug to be named Semaih. The contract was signed at the recent Seatrade Maritime Middle East event in Dubai.

The 50tbp tug will be powered by Caterpillar 3512C Tier II main engines and join SAFEEN Group’s 20-strong tug fleet with delivery due in Q1 2022.

SAFEEN Group’s fleet includes three other Sanmar-built tugs: Al Shaheed, Al Hili 1 and Al Jimi 1, RAL Rascal 1800 class 32tbp ASD tugs delivered between 2016 and 2018.