Danish towage specialist Svitzer has deployed two of its newest tugs in Panama as part of the expansion of the company’s activities in Latin America, particularly along the Panama Canal.
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Named after two local islands, Popa Island and Grape Island were built by Turkey’s Med Marine at its Eregli Shpiyard to a design developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL).
According to the Panama Canal Authority (PCA), the design has proven to be ideal for intensive assistance operations including those to be carried out in the canal.
Manoeuvrable and stable platforms
Isla Popa and Isla Uva Panama Canal Authority(1).jpg
The RAL tugs each have a length of 25.9 metres (85 feet), a beam of 12.8 metres (42 feet), a draught of 4.85 metres (16 feet), a depth of 6.05 metres (20 feet), a gross tonnage of less than 400, and accommodation for a crew of six.
Each tug is fitted with two MTU 16V4000M63R engines that each produce 2,000 kW (2,700 hp) at 1,800 rpm. The engines drive two Kongsberg Maritime US205S 2,500mm fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a service speed of 12 knots and a bollard pull of 65 tons.
Optimised for narrow lock passage
Isla Popa With Marine(1).jpg
According to the builder, the vessels’ design is intended to provide manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and directional stability, which are key attributes for the challenging conditions of Panama’s harbour and terminal operations.
The tugs will assist vessels in entering and exiting the canal’s locks as well as during transit through the Culebra Cut, which the PCA said is one of the most challenging sections of the waterway.
Secondary firefighting function
As with other RAL-designed tugs, the newbuilds feature wheelhouses that ensure unobstructed all-round visibility for ahead and astern navigation. Upward-facing windows meanwhile provide enhanced situational awareness when operating alongside and assisting larger ships.
Monitors fitted just outside the wheelhouse enable each tug to be used for external firefighting, thus expanding the PCA’s emergency response capability.
The authority said the tugs will also ensure safe and agile transit through Neopanamax locks, where maximum manoeuvrability and precision are required.
The PCA has already begun operating Popa Island and Grape Island under a charter agreement signed with Svitzer, which allows operational capacity to be expanded without compromising financial efficiency or flexibility in fleet management.
| Popa Island & Grape Island | |
|---|---|
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Ship assist tugs |
| Flag: | Panama |
| Owner: | Switzer, Denmark |
| Operator: | Panama Canal Authority |
| Designer: | Robert Allan Ltd, Canada |
| Builder: | Med Marine, Turkey |
| Length overall: | 25.9 metres (85 feet) |
| Beam: | 12.8 metres (42 feet) |
| Draught: | 4.85 metres (16 feet) |
| Depth: | 6.05 metres (20 feet) |
| Gross tonnage: | 400 |
| Main engines: | 2 x MTU 16V4000M63R, each 2,000 kW (2,700 hp) at 1,800 rpm |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Kongsberg Maritime US205S fixed-pitch propellers |
| Cruising speed: | 12 knots |
| Bollard pull: | 65 tons |
| Firefighting equipment: | 2 x monitors |
| Crew: | 6 |
| Operational area: | Panama Canal |
Source: https://www.bairdmaritime.com/tugs/harbour-tugs-and-operation/vessel-review-isla-popa-isla-uva-svitzers-new-tugs-to-support-ship-transits-through-panama-canal
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