Four powerful technologically-advanced new-build tugboats built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey have arrived at Karachi, Pakistan to start work for their new owner, Port Qasim Authority (PQA).

The Kocacay series tugs, with bollard pulls ranging from 76 to 86 tonnes, are based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 3200SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, and have been renamed GHARO, MALIR, KORANGI and PIPRI by their new owners.

The contracts were signed at a ceremony at the Ministry of Maritime office in Islamabad, Pakistan, exactly a year ago on March 29, witnessed by Mr Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs and Mr Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Turkish Ambassador in Islamabad, Pakistan.

GHARO, MALIR and KORANGI are each powered by two 2.350kW main engines, while PIPRI has two 2.525kW main engines. Each tug, known as Kocacay IV, Kocacay V, Kocacay VI and Kocacay VII while under construction at Sanmar’s state-of-the-art purpose-built shipyards in Turkey, have a Loa of 32.00m, moulded beam of 13.00m, moulded depth of 6.00m and are designed for a crew of up to 10. They each have tank capacities of 145m3 of fuel oil and 25m3 of fresh water.

All four new Sanmar tugs all benefit from the unique sponsoned hull form from Robert Allan Ltd, which has been proven to significantly enhance escort towing performance.

The delivery of the tugs is the culmination of a project that has seen close co-operation between Sanmar and the operators PQA at every stage of the production process. Sanmar will continue to offer PQA its unrivalled after sales technical services.

A major deep-water seaport on the Arabian Sea, Port Qasim is the largest industrial zone in Pakistan with more than 400 industrial and commercial units spread over 15.474 acres.