Svitzer Brazil ramps up for growth by investing in four newbuilt tugs

Rio de Janeiro, 20 May 2021 – Leading global towage provider Svitzer has today announced that it has signed a contract with Brazilian shipyard Rio Maguari for the delivery of four new azimuth stern drive (ASD) 70-ton bollard pull tugboats for its operations in Brazil.

Svitzer Brazil has since its entry in 2015 deployed 14 ASD tugs to service its customers in the ports of Santos, Vitoria, Rio Grande, Sao Francisco do Sul and Paranagua, and this will be the fourth time that the company orders new tugs to be built in Brazil. The four newbuilds are an important addition to the existing fleet and a vital element in Svitzer Brazil’s growth ambitions.

Commenting on the investment in new tugs, Daniel Reedtz Cohen, Managing Director Svitzer Brazil says:

“We have built a solid business here in Brazil with a good customer base, but we want to grow our presence even more and expand our fleet, port coverage and customer portfolio. Our ambition is to serve our customers with Brazilian built tugs to the largest extent possible and so I am very happy that we are now taking this important step of expanding our fleet with four newbuilt tugs from Rio Maguari Shipyard. The four new tugs will be vital to our ability to cater to our customers’ need for broad geographical coverage and to always provide safe, reliable and efficient towage solutions.”

The four new tugs will be from the RAmparts 2300 series designed by Robert Allan Ltd. The first of the four new tugs will be delivered in October 2022, while the last of the four tugs will follow in April 2023.

Commenting on the delivery of the four new tugs to Svitzer Brazil, Fabio Vasconcellos, Commercial Director Rio Maguari Shipyard says:

“We are very proud to have won the bid to build these high standard tugs, and we hope this is the start of a long-term partnership with Svitzer for future projects in Brazil and worldwide. With this contract awarded by an operator with such a significant role in the tug industry, Rio Maguari Shipyard becomes an important option to be considered by tug operators in Brazil and around the world for future new buildings.”