LNG tugs cut emissions in Pakistan

Sanmar Shipyards will build four LNG compatible tugboats, plus two pilot boats each capable of 20 knots, for Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in a US$33.46m deal. The tugs are scheduled to be delivered in 12 months and the pilot boats in 10.

Ali Gurun, vice president of Sanmar, said: “Sanmar has been delivering tugs to Pakistan since year 2000. We have tugs in KPT and PQA ports. However, this tender was one of the most challenging one due to tough competition. Our designers Robert Allan Ltd and supplier Kongsberg Marine have worked closely with Sanmar engineers to deliver best performance solution for PQA.”

Unique hull form

The Sanmar Kocacay class range of escort and harbour tugs are based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 3200SX design from Canada-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.

The tugs boast a unique sponsoned hull form to provide significantly enhanced escort towing performance. Escort forces are enhanced by the effects of the sponsons as well as by the prominent foil-shaped escort skeg.

Three of the 32m x 13m x 5.6m tugs will have 75t of bollard pull (BP) ahead and astern, while the fourth will have a BP of 85t.

The first two tugs in the series, called Thor of Scapa and Odin of Scapa by their new owners, were delivered to the Orkney Islands Council in the UK last year. They are being used for ship-handling, towing, escort and emergency response duties and have been designed with a shallower draught than most other tugs of similar size to ensure greater operational flexibility.

Sanmar has been invited to build a shipyard in Pakistan.