Sanmar Shipyards

Half a Century of Tugboat Building

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Sanmar brings half a century of experience, innovation, and excellence through its custom-built, state-of-the-art shipyards in Tuzla and Altınova, Türkiye.

Sanmar Shipyards has been providing services to the world’s tugboat operators for 50 years and is leading the industry towards an environmentally-friendly new era of low and no-emission tugboats.

Using exclusive designs from leading naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, Sanmar’s wide portfolio of vessels, constructed at its two environmental, purpose-built, shipyards in Turkiye, now includes ground-breaking battery electric tugs, and tugboats using alternative fuels such as LNG and methanol.

Always at the forefront of technological advance and innovation, landmark achievements – many a world first – during Sanmar’s first half century include:

• Delivering the world’s first pure LNG-fuelled tugs (2014),
• Delivering the world’s first remotely-operated tug (2017)
• Building the world’s first hydromechanical hybrid tug (2019)
• Delivering the world’s first emissions-free all electric battery powered tugboats (2021)
• Launching the world’s first large purpose-built methanol-fuelled escort tug (2025)

With a large stock of tugs for prompt delivery and a big team of engineers ready to develop custom solutions, Sanmar is ready to deliver well-equipped vessels that meet the highest standards of safety, quality and comfort.

Sanmar’s clients include many major international operators across six continents, involved in a wide range of specialist activities, often in challenging conditions, including towage, ship-handling, escort, rescue, salvage, emergency response, and offshore operations.

As well as a tugbuilder, Sanmar is also Turkiye’s leading tug operator with a fleet with an average age of under three years, operating at ports around Turkiye.

ElectRA Series Tugs

The ground-breaking electric-powered ElectRA Series of harbour tugs are the first of a new generation of emissions-free tugboats from Sanmar, available in the range of sizes and power outputs, that are having a major impact on cutting emissions where ever they work. This example, the ElectRA 2500SX, can achieve an impressive 70 tons of bollard pull. Each ElectRA tug, the result of collaboration between Sanmar, Robert Allan Ltd and Corvus Energy, eliminates approximately 1,700 tonnes of CO2 per annum compared to even the cleanest modern diesel-powered alternatives. This equates to the carbon emissions of nearly 1,000 cars. They also achieve major reductions of NOX, SOX, CO, and particulate matter.

RAmparts 2400SX-MKll

The class leading RAmparts 2400SX-MKll, exclusively designed for Sanmar by Robet Allan Ltd, prvides maximum efficiency during ship-handling duties for sea-going ships. Also widely used for coastal towing, escort, general purpose duties, this is Sanmar’s best-selling tug and comes with impressive green credentials, including a high standard of machinery automation to maximise efficiency, and Tier lll compliant main engines. Latest versions offer varying bollard pull capacities of 60, 70, or 80 tons. A wide beam enables greater performance and stability, and the design emphasises low-manning operation, with optional layouts for basic day boats or accommodation for up to six people.

TRAktor-Z 2500SX

The versatile design of the TRAktor-Z 2500SX allows for customisable options based on individual owner requirements, with Sanmar as usual working closely with clients at every stage of the production process to ensure all specifications are met. This highly efficient twin Z-drive propeller tug in tractor configuration, excels at both harbour ship-handling and towing duties. Built to another exclusive to Sanmar design from renowned Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, with operational input from Sanmar’s tug operation department, the TRAktor-Z 2500SX achieves 70, 75 and 80 tons of bollard pull, and comes with FiFi 1 fire-fighting capability.

RAstar 2900SX

This high-powered, yet comparatively compact, tugboat has been designed to take on demanding escort operations in exposed and challenging areas, where exceptional seakeeping capabilities are crucial. The RAstar design results in a distinctive class of ASD tugs with a unique sponsored hull form, proven through model and full-scale testing to significantly enhance escort towing and seakeeping performance. Offering an impressively high bollard pull of 80/90 tons, and Fi-Fi 1 fire-fighting capability, the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 2900SX design from Robert Allan Ltd is optimized for efficient construction while still allowing for customisation to meet client requirements.