Seven months after taking delivery of its first newbuilding, Vernicos Scafi Tugs & Salvage booked two more tugs at its favourite Turkish shipyard.
The Greek-Italian tug and salvage company expects Eregli’s Med Marine Shipyard to deliver the first unit able to deliver more than 80 tons of bollard pull in September and the second in March next year.
“We continue our expansion … strengthening further the relationship of trust with Med Marine Shipyard, by reaching three orders in less than a year,” director Dimitris Vernicos said.
Vernicos Scafi Tugs & Salvage is part of the Med Tugs consortium that is active in Greece and other regions in the Eastern Mediterranean with a fleet of 49 tug boats.
Its newbuildings are part of a long-term strategy of consolidation in the regional tug and salvage scene, in which Vernicos Scafi has been one of the most active drivers via a series of mergers and joint ventures in recent years.
“Vernicos Scafi follows its investment plan that will further strengthen its position and will certainly add value to the fleet of our joint venture in Med Tugs,” Vernicos said.
No price details on the newbuildings were announced.
Vernicos Scafi describes them as “one of the most versatile ASD tug design for ship-handling, coastal towing, general purpose or escort duties … to provide both high-quality harbour and deepsea towage services”.
They will also come equipped with a firefighting system, allowing them to provide oil recovery and escort services.
Eregli Shipyard is part of Turkey’s Med Marine Group. Located at the Black Sea right next to the Eregli Iron & Steel Works east of Istanbul, the independent shipyard has completed numerous shipbuilding projects since 2004, mainly for tug boats and chemical tankers.
