DENMARK’s Svitzer has signed with Hong Kong builder Cheoy Lee Shipyards for a further six 29-metre TRAnsverse tugs, just as the first of eight TRA2900s already under construction at the yard nears delivery readiness.
The TRAnsverse designs, developed by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd with Svitzer, feature in the 32-metre version in Newcastle where Svitzer Nobbys and Svitzer Barrington have drawn praise from tugmasters, pilots and ship masters.
The additional contract with Cheoy Lee bring Svitzer’s current TRAnsverse vessels under construction to 24 globally. More than three quarters of Svitzer’s tugs on order are TRAnsverse tugs, which come in size variations of 26m, 29m, 32m and 35m; with electric, hybrid and conventional diesel-powered configurations.
“The new TRAnsverse 2900s are being built for global growth and renewal opportunities including for Australia,” a spokesperson told DCN.
“The TRAnsverse 2900s awarded under this contract with Cheoy Lee have state-of-the-art equipment packages on them, including high specification winch design and other capabilities that makes them highly suited to challenging Australian harbour and terminal towage operations.
“We have a solid newbuild program underway of the TRAnsverse (24 under construction now) reflecting the high interest from customers in the vessels’ performance and capabilities.”
Kasper Karlsen, Svitzer’s COO, said “As our TRAnsverse fleet expands, we are giving customers greater flexibility to optimise their operations, overcome constraints and improve performance across productivity, safety and sustainability.
“We value our longstanding relationship with Cheoy Lee Shipyards and are pleased to build on this collaboration with an order for six additional TRAnsverse 2900 tugs."
Boasting 80 tonne bollard pull and biofuel, IMO Tier III and Firefighting Class 1 (FiFi1) ready, the deliveries of the first vessels under this new contract are scheduled from early 2028. The TRAnsverse tug’s unique design, combining an omni-directional hull form and propulsion, alongside a patented half-circle towing staple provide for significantly higher steering and breaking forces than similar sized ASD tugs, with lower fuel consumption, Svitzer says.
Ken Lo, director at Cheoy Lee Shipyards, said the company was pleased to be selected as a construction partner for the additional tugs and was are looking forward to expanding the partnership with the Svitzer team.
The contract award comes as the first of the TRAnsverse 2900 builds with Cheoy Lee undergoes final stages of construction ahead of sea trials in Zhuhai, China.
“The 29-metre version of the TRAnsverse tug is a very versatile tug design capable of covering applications from escort towage to harbour towage in the same agile package,” Thomas Bangslund, head of innovation at Svitzer said.
“It can perform a wider variety of jobs, do them faster, deliver greater stability, responsiveness to pilot orders and efficiency for port and terminal operations. Its ability to work in all towage positions around an assisted vessel and assist vessels of all sizes provides customers with greater flexibility and options that conventional tug designs do not,” said Mr Bangslund said.
On 18 March this year Port of Melbourne and Svitzer signed a MoU to explore the deployment of next‑generation electric tugboats and the clean‑energy infrastructure required to operate them in Australia’s largest container port.
Last week India’s Cochin Shipyard began construction of four advanced battery-electric tugs for Svitzer at a formal steel-cutting ceremony held at the yard. Svitzer says the vessels are among the most advanced ‘green’ tugs being built anywhere in the world.
The ceremony follows the shipbuilding agreement signed last year between the shipyard and Svitzer for a series of four next-generation, battery-electric TRAnsverse 2600e tugs.