Svitzer adds to Suez Canal fleet with fresh contract extension

Towage operator Svitzer, part of Maersk, has sealed an extension of its current contract with the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) to include two additional tugs to service the Suez Canal.

At the end of May 2022, two additional tugs will join the fleet in the Suez Canal, operating out of Port Said and Port Suez, respectively. Turkish tugboat builder Med Marine will deliver the pair, both RAstar 2800 75 tonnes bollard pull tugs with firefighting capabilities and escort notation designed by Canadian naval architect and marine engineering firm Robert Allan.

Svitzer started operating in the Suez Canal in late 2019 with the two tugs, Svitzer Port Said 1 and Svitzer Port Said 2, providing towage services to the SCA out of Port Said. In December 2021, the two tugs were joined by sister vessels, Svitzer Suez 1 and Svitzer Suez 2. The newest additions will take Svitzer’s operating fleet in the Suez Canal to six vessels, employing 120 Egyptian seafarers. The company has a fleet of 110 vessels operating in seven ports and 11 terminals across 12 countries in the region.