A ceremony to mark the delivery of the tug “OZGUR” to Cyprus Turkish Safety & Salvage Co Ltd was held at Sanmar Shipyards Altinova on 20 October.

Built in 1985, the 24.75m-long “OZGUR” has undergone modernisation and restoration work at Sanmar.

The ceremony was attended by Selim Dursun, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure; Durmus Unuvar, Chairman and General Manager of the Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety, and Consul Çagrı Kalfaoglu on behalf of The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Consulate General in İstanbul.

The honoured guests were welcomed by Sanmar Shipyard’s Founder Orhan Gürün, President Cem Seven and Vice President Ali Gürün.

The ceremony further cemented the friendship between Turkey and The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which regards Turkey as its motherland, expressing their relationship as two states, but one nation.

Sanmar Shipyards, Vice President Ali Gürün said: “We went to a great deal of effort to make sure that we could complete the modernization of “OZGUR” safely and as soon as possible, despite the Covid-19 coronavirus.

We have continued with orders for the existing vessels and the construction of new ones during the pandemic.”

Sanmar Shipyards has 45 years of experience in the efficient production and operation of tugs. “We are proud to be involved in the renewal of the Cyprus Turkish Safety & Salvage fleet and to have successfully completed the modernization and restoration of “OZGUR” in a very short time.” commented Ali Gürün.

The 119.28gt, 1,125bhp “OZGUR”  achieved a top speed of 11.1 knots and reached a bollard pull of 9.7 tonnes. Following its complete overhaul and restoration using the latest technology at Sanmar Shipyards Altinova, “OZGUR” has immediately started operating in the Eastern Mediterranean.