Steel cutting at Cochin Shipyard marks the start of construction on two 70-tonne bollard-pull tugs for Polestar Maritime
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), India’s leading shipbuilding and ship repair group, has commenced construction on two ASTDS 70-tonne bollard pull tugs for Polestar Maritime Limited, following a formal steel-cutting ceremony held at its Kochi yard.
The event was led by Shri Vinit Badani, Director at Polestar Maritime, who initiated the first steel cut in the presence of Cochin Shipyard Limited’s senior leadership, Shri Harikrishnan S Director Operations, Shri Harikumar A CEO, Udupi Cochin Shipyard Limited, and Mr. Shiraz V.P. Executive Director, Shipbuilding, along with representatives from the classification society IRS.
The two tugs, designed by Robert Allan Limited, will feature a 33 m length, 12.2 m beam and 4.2 m draft, delivering 70 tonnes of bollard pull for harbour and terminal operations. Each vessel will be powered by twin 1838 kW main engines coupled to 2.7 m fixed-pitch propellers supplied by Niigata IHI Power Systems Co. Ltd.
The current order book of CSL group consists of 17 ASTDS tugs and 6 GTTP tugs under the Government of India’s Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP)
“CSL and Udupi-UCSL have introduced Robert Allan Ltd.–designed tugs in India in compliance with ASTDS, setting benchmarks in quality and delivery timelines. In partnership with Polestar Maritime Limited, CSL is also constructing two GTTP tugs, thereby strengthening the sustainable maritime industry.” said Mr. Jose V J, the Chairman and Managing Director of CSL.
