VB Magnum is sailing to Hamburg, Germany under the flag of St Vincent & Grenadines after it was completed by Med Marine at the Eregli Shipyard on the Black Sea coast.
This 2023-built, azimuth stern drive (ASD) harbour tug was launched as Med XLIII and purchased by Boluda Towage to strengthen its fleet in North Sea and Baltic Sea ports.
VB Magnum has an overall length of 28 m, a beam of 13 m and bollard pull of around 85 tonnes. It was built to Robert Allan Ltd’s (RAL) RAstar 2800 design.
On its way from Turkey to Germany, this 434-gt escort tug stopped off at Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, for bunkers and other supplies on 26 April, according to automatic identification system data.
Med Marine builds tugs for its own fleet and shipyard stock to RAL designs, with Caterpillar marine engines and Kongsberg Maritime propulsion.
The most recent launches from the Eregli Shipyard include shipyard number ER119, a MED-A2875 series tugboat built to RAL’s RAstar 2800 with ASD propulsion and an overall length of around 28 m.
In April, Med Marine has signed an agreement with RAL covering designs of a new series of electric and hybrid tugs.
Med Marine said it plans to build its VoltRA series of zero- and low-emissions tugboats in Turkey with an overall length of 21-30 m and electrical networks to transmit power to azimuth thrusters from multiple sources, including generators, engines and battery systems.