Svitzer, a leading global towage and marine services provider, today announces that it has signed a contract with the Hong Kong shipyard, Cheoy Lee, for four new Svitzer TRAnsverse 2900 tugs – for delivery in 2026. The contract means Svitzer has seven tugs on order for its TRAnsverse design, while one is already in operation.
The TRAnsverse 2900 tug was designed by Svitzer in collaboration with naval architect, Robert Allan Ltd. Each of the tugs ordered from Cheoy Lee will have an overall length of 29 meters, deliver bollard pulls of up to 80 tonnes and come with impressive side pushing capabilities. With a top speed of 13 knots, and 8 knots side-stepping, the omni-directional hull form and propulsion provides for significantly higher steering and breaking forces than similar sized ASD tugs, with lower fuel consumption.
Svitzer is continuously evaluating its fleet against customer and operational requirements across the more than 180 ports and terminals where it operates. This is done with a constant striving to meet customer demands, leverage innovation and technology, and ensure flexibility to support the transition to more sustainable energy sources.
While the new vessels are planned as fleet replacements globally, they can also be deployed in new growth projects. Hence, the contract with Cheoy Lee Shipyards includes an option for four additional tugs of the same type that can be called on in case of need.
Commenting on the agreement, Kasper Karlsen, Chief Operating Officer at Svitzer, said: “This order enables us to continue renewing our fleet to deliver on our customers’ needs and our decarbonisation targets, while providing a strong basis for engaging in growth projects. The new TRAnsverse tug will undoubtedly be our preferred design going forward and with even more of these tugs in our fleet, we are able to continuously improve operational capabilities and fuel efficiency to the benefit of our customers as well as the environment.”
Ken Lo, Director at Cheoy Lee Shipyards commented: “We are delighted to be selected as a construction partner to Svitzer and look forward to working with their team to build these four TRAnsverse tugs for their global fleet. As with all our work, our team will deliver the project in line with our guiding focus on quality, service and reliability.”
