German tugboat operator Fairplay Towage has ordered new tugs at Turkiye’s Sanmar to support fleet modernization and LNG terminal operations.
Fairplay Towage said in a statement that it has signed a contract with Sanmar for the construction of six new tugs, including two offshore tugs and four harbor/terminal tugs.
The tugs will be built based on designs by Canadian naval architecture company Robert Allan.
Fairplay Towage said the investment marks a milestone in the fleet modernization and expansion program of its unit in Poland.
The power output of the new tugs starts at 6,390 hp with a minimum bollard pull of 80 tonnes, while the most powerful of the six newbuilds will have 10,580 hp and a minimum bollard pull of 120 tonnes.
All six tugs will comply with IMO Tier III emission standards.
Moreover, thanks to their ice-class rating, they will be equipped to assist LNG carriers, even in winter conditions, the company said.
The first harbor tug is due for handover in mid-2027, and the remaining harbor tugs will follow by the end of 2027.
Fairplay Towage added that the two offshore tugs are due to enter service in the first half of 2028.
The company did not provide further details at which LNG terminals it plans to deploy these tugs.
In 2024, state-owned LNG terminal operator Deutsche Energy Terminal awarded a contract to Fairplay Towage to provide all assisting tugs for the DET-operated FSRU-based LNG import terminals located in Brunsbuttel, Stade, and Wilhelmshaven.
Besides the DET-operated terminals, private LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas operates the FSRU-based LNG import terminal in Mukran.
In Poland, state-owned LNG terminal operator Gaz-System operates the Swinoujcie facility, and it is building the FSRU-based LNG import facility in Gdansk.