Los astilleros DAMEN estarán a cargo de la construcción de un potente remolador para Panamá, que será entregado en marzo 2016. Ambos remolcadores potenciarán la flota que actualmente opera SAAM SMIT Towage en América.
Canada, January 15, 2016. Saam Smit Towage (SST), a joint venture between SAAM and Royal Boskalis Westminster and operating in various locations in the Americas, took delivery of a new tugboat. Strengthening its fleet in Canada, the “SST Capilano” joins the 21 tugboats the company operates in British Columbia. The tug is named after Chief Joe Capilano, a renowned historic leader of the Squamish First Nation.
The new tugboat is 22 meters long and will deliver 65 tons Bollard Pull. “The SST Capilano is part of the renewal plan of our fleet in Canada, which includes the recent addition of 2 existing modern tugboats and the construction of two new tugboats in North Vancouver. The SST Capilano is the first new built tug to join our fleet in Canada since establishment of the Saam Smit Joint Venture in 2014”, explained Marcelo Jullian, CEO of Saam Smit Towage for North and Central America. Mr. Jullian indicates that the tugboat will help the Saam Smit Towage fleet meet the higher power requirements driven by increasing ship sizes of their clients as well as increased safety standards.
NEW TUGBOAT FOR PANAMA
In addition, Saam Smit Towage entered into an agreement with DAMEN Shipyards to build a new tugboat for their fleet in Panama. The new ASD 2913 tugboat is named “SST Rambala”, after a town in the district of Chiriqui Grande, a province in Panama.
The new tug is compact, maneuverable and powerful, and therefore ideal for crowded ports and waterways where space is limited, and includes firefighting capacity. It is 29 meters long and delivers 80 tons Bollard Pull towing capacity. Mr. Jullian: “The purchase of the SST Rambala is a pro-active decision to prepare our Panama fleet of 11 tugs for the opening of the new locks, which are likely to bring bigger vessels to the Panama terminals”.
“DAMEN supplied all tugboats currently operated by SST in Panama. This fleet standardization and modernization makes it possible to achieve advantages in terms of maintenance during the useful life of the tugboats and thus ensures impeccable service levels for our clients, of which many use Panama as their regional hub,” emphasized Marcelo Jullian. The new tugboat will be delivered in March 2016.
Saam Smit Towage is a Joint Venture between SAAM S.A. and Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. in Mexico, Canada, Panama and Brazil.
SAAM S.A. is a leading provider of towage services with presence in more than 70 ports across America. The Tugboats division consolidates as the fourth largest global tugboat operator, reaching 185 units including the Joint Venture.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors in around 75 countries across six continents. Through SMIT and its strategic partnerships around the world, Boskalis provides towage and salvage services.
