Latin American owners added newbuildings to their fleets in August, September and October of this year as ports in the region welcome ultra-large ships in greater frequency.

New tugs have more bollard pull, efficient hulls and technology for reducing air pollution in ports and compliance with IMO Tier III emissions standards. 

Santiago, Chile-headquartered owner Ultratug acquired a newbuild escort tug built by one of the region’s shipyards, in October, to operate around Punta Arenas and Magellan Strait for ship towage and emergency response. 

Conguillio was built by Chile-based Asenav to Robert Allan Ltd’s RAstar 3200-W design with an overall length of 32 m, a top speed of 12.5 knots, two Progener gensets, Ibercisa-supplied deck equipment, and a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting unit with a misting system that protects it as it approaches a burning ship.  

Its propulsion consists of two Rolls-Royce mtu 4000 series diesel main engines, linked to a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) module for compliance with IMO Tier III, driving two Kongsberg azimuth Z drives. 

Wilson Sons completed its latest newbuilding campaign in Brazil with delivery of the sixth and final reverse stern drive (RSD) tugboat. WS Onix started working in the Port of Santos, the largest port facility in Latin America, in September.  

All six 25-m tugs were built to Damen Shipyards’s RSD 2513 design at Wilson Sons own shipyard in Guarujá with a bollard pull of more than 90 tonnes and compliance with the IMO Tier III standard, with an SCR reducing NOx emissions by 70%. 

“The six new tugboats with cutting-edge technology generate value for all our stakeholders, representing an important step in shipbuilding and progress for our industry,” says executive director of Wilson Sons’ Shipyard division, Adalberto Souza.  

Also in Brazil, Sulnorte Serviços Maritimos took delivery of SN Cariri, a 23-m harbour tug built to ABS class and Robert Allan’s RAmparts 2300 design. This 298-gt azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug has a moulded beam of 11.4 m, a hull depth of 4.4 m, a bollard pull of 63 tonnes and free running speed of 12 knots. 

Its propulsion consists of two Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines, rated at 1,641 kW at 1,600 rpm, driving Kongsberg US205S Z-drives with 2,400 mm diameter fixed-pitch propellers. The electrical system includes two Caterpillar C4.4 diesel generators, each producing 99 ekW at 230 V, 3-phase, 60 Hz. 

In Mexico, Pemex welcomed 469-gt, 31-m ASD tugboat Pemex Nahuatl from builder, Astilleros de Marina Numero Veinte, to support tankers at one of the nation’s state-run energy company’s terminals in Salina Cruz. Owner Reylaver took delivery of 263-gt ASD tugboat Don Pedro from Damen’s shipyard in China for operations in the port of Manzanillo.

International Tug & Salvage is preparing the annual TugWorld Review for 2024, an exclusive and exhaustive summary of the key tugboat deliveries from around the world. For your newbuild tug to be considered for inclusion in TugWorld Review 2024, please contact ITS editor Martyn Wingrove: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com

Riviera’s TugTechnology 2025 will be held in Antwerp, Belgium, 20-21 May 2025 providing technical and technological insights to the towage and tug sector. Use this link for more information and to register interest in the conference, exhibition, gala industry dinner and awards.