For the first time in our country, a tugboat with dual fuel system is being built for BOTAŞ, which has the most established tugboat organization in Turkey with its 55 years of experience in the sector.
Sheet metal cutting ceremony of Voith tractor-type propeller tugboats with dual fuel system, which will be built by Uzmar Shipyard for BOTAŞ, was held on 29 March 2023 in Kocaeli Free Zone.
The ceremony was held with the participation of BOTAŞ Petroleum Enterprises Regional Manager Mehmet TECIMEN, Uzmar Denizcilik Chairman of the Board A.Noyan ALTUĞ and Kocaeli Deputy Governor İsmail GÜLTEKİN.
Mehmet TECIMEN, who gave information about BOTAŞ's maritime activities at the ceremony, stated that "BOTAŞ has 55 years of experience in tugboat, pilotage, mooring organization and combating fire and pollution at sea. TECIMEN stated that there are currently 14 tugboats in the fleet of BOTAŞ, which successfully continues its maritime activities with its deep-rooted experience.
It is a limited number in the world and our country's first Turkish bayraklı Noting that Ertuğrul Gazi, the FSRU ship, started its operations at Dörtyol Terminal in 2021, BOTAŞ Petroleum Operations Regional Manager Mehmet TECIMEN said; Emphasizing that BOTAŞ has taken the steps of the future towards energy supply security, he continued as follows:
“As an organization that is the address of firsts, we are happy and proud to be breaking new ground once again. We are happy to add a new one to the sustainable, technological and universal goals of our country and BOTAŞ. I hope that our 2 tugboats, which will be built as Dual-Fuel (dual fuel), will bring good luck to our country, the maritime industry and BOTAŞ.”
New Tugs Can Also Use LNG as Fuel
Tugboats with a length of 39 meters and a width of 15 meters will serve at BOTAŞ ports with a speed of 12 miles. Tugboats to be built; It will have a minimum pulling power of 80 tons, and 3.000 Dual-Fuel (capable of using LNG and diesel as fuel) main engine with a total power of 6.000 kW, each of which is 2 kW, Voith propeller system and Fi-Fi1 fire extinguishing capacity.
With the Tugboat Supply Project to be realized, it is aimed to further enlarge and rejuvenate the tugboat fleet of BOTAŞ, to increase the traction power, to carry out sustainable and environmentally friendly operations and to use economical fuel.