Turkish shipbuilder Med Marine has begun construction of two Robert Allan-designed icebreaking tugboats for Maersk Group towing specialist Svitzer at its Ereğli Shipyard (see Pacific Maritime Magazine, May 2020). The twin ice-strengthened vessels, which are being completed for year-around employment in the Baltic Sea, are to be fitted with a winch capable of operating over the stern via a trunk running through the deckhouse to allow reliable performance in very cold weather.
Propulsion will incorporate azimuth stern drives to give a bollard pull of 60 tons while the hulls will be finished to Finnish-Swedish ice class 1A standards. When delivered toward the end of this year and in early 2021 the twin vessels will replace Svitzer’s oldest Baltic Sea boats, Svitzer Helios and Svitzer Dynan.
