Sanmar Shipyards, a global leader in specialised vessel construction, has been awarded a significant contract to build six Camarc Design pilot boats for the General Directorate of Coastal Safety (GDCS) of Türkiye. These vessels will enhance maritime safety and security across Türkiye’s territorial waters and the strategic Turkish Straits, supporting the GDCS’s mission to protect life, property, and the marine environment.
The signing ceremony was held at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety in Istanbul. Sanmar Denizcilik Chairman of the Board Ali Gürün and Deputy Chairman of the Board Cem Seven attended the ceremony.
The pilot boats will be built based on the projects of Camarc Design, a UK-based company that designs workboats for users such as port and pilotage authorities, navies, coast guards and security units. They will be specially designed to operate in the Istanbul and Çanakkale Straits in difficult weather conditions and with a busy work schedule.
SANMAR and the General Directorate of Coastal Safety have a strong and successful partnership going back many years. To date, the company has delivered six powerful and technologically advanced tugboats to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety for use in vital operations such as search and rescue, ship salvage and emergency towing services.
The RAstar 2900SX class KURTARMA 15 and 16 tugboats, delivered in 2012, operate with a 92-ton bollard pull, while the RAstar 2900SX class KURTARMA 17 and 18 tugboats, delivered in 2023, operate with a 83-ton bollard pull. Finally, the KURTARMA 19 and 20 tugboats, which joined the fleet in 2024, operate with a 77-ton bollard pull.
Ali Gürün said in his statement: “We are very pleased to cooperate once again with the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. The General Directorate of Coastal Safety, which is a justified source of pride for our nation, always successfully fulfills its duty in ensuring safety in emergencies and on our shores. We are proud to provide tugboats and service boats that will support these important tasks.”
Cem Seven, Deputy Chairman of Sanmar Denizcilik, said in his statement: “We are happy to crown this long-standing cooperation with the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, which plays a key role in Türkiye’s maritime safety, with a new project. We will build these pilot boats that are both suitable for operational needs and have advanced engineering standards with the highest quality approach. It is a great responsibility and a source of pride for us to continue contributing to the national maritime power.”
The Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, Mr. Mustafa Bankaoğlu, noted the following: “As the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, which is the operational force of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure at sea, 7/24 uninterrupted service is provided, all necessary measures are taken at the highest level to increase navigation safety and life, property and environmental safety, and local and national projects are implemented one by one. Again, today, we are experiencing the rightful pride and happiness of witnessing the signing ceremony for the construction of 6 pilotage service boats, which are one of the most beautiful and concrete examples of these projects. On this occasion, I would like to once again thank our Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Mr. Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, SANMAR Denizcilik and all our friends who contributed to the project for their strong support and vision to the process.
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