Uzmar Shipyard and Robert Allan have signed an agreement to design and build a new series of methanol-fueled tugboats. Exclusive to Uzmar, the vessels will represent a new generation of lower emission tugboats which clients are currently demanding to meet a wide range of CO2 reduction targets.
The new vessel series will benefit from improved energy efficiency, in addition to generating a significant amount of CO2 emissions savings each year. The methanol-fueled vessels will vary in lengths from 26m to 32m and will include one tractor tug design.
The agreement – signed by Ahmet Noyan Altuğ, CEO of Uzmar, and Mike Fitzpatrick, CEO of Robert Allan – covers four new designs. The name of the methanol-powered tugboat series will be unveiled by the duo at a later stage. Uzmar plans to replace its entire fleet of tugboats with alternative eco-friendly new-builds.
“It is an exciting step forward for us to sign these new design contracts with Uzmar,” said Robert Allan CEO Fitzpatrick. “The close cooperation between Robert Allan and Uzmar that has developed over more than 25 years of working together facilitates the efficient transfer of knowledge between our engineering teams. I am confident that we will successfully execute these milestone projects as we have done many times together in the past.”
“According to our research that has been ongoing for more than five years, our team believes that within the alternative fuels to fossil fuels, the most applicable and efficient choice for tugboats is methanol,” commented Uzmar CEO Ahmet Noyan Altuğ. “With our long-standing camaraderie and mutual understanding with Robert Allan, we always overcame challenging projects with great success. Signing contracts for this new methanol-powered design series exclusive to Uzmar is a step toward a new era for all of us. We aim to start building the tugs in the last quarter of 2022, and we will reveal the specifications in the following days.”