SAAM Towage will receive a new tug for its fleet in Panama. The SAAM Quibian, purchased from Türkiye-based Sanmar Shipyards, features high maneuverability, which makes for more energy efficient operations.

SAAM Towage’s Technical Manager Pablo Cáceres explained that “this tug’s equipment has been specially selected to reinforce our customers’ needs in Panama, while its compact design ensures safe maneuvers.”

SAAM Quibian, the third to join the Panamanian fleet, owes its name to the legend of a brave chief from the Caribbean coastal province of Veraguas during Christopher Columbus’s fourth voyage.

Designed by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd., it is a “sister ship” of the SAAM Palenque and Valparaíso, which also operate in Panama, the SAAM Condór and Albatros in Peru and the Halcón III in Chile.

The 24-meter vessel boasts 70 tons of bollard pull and two Caterpillar 3615C main engines. It has “Fire-Fighting 1” class notation thanks to its fire-fighting pump with a capacity of 2,700 m3/hour.

Furthermore, it offers accommodations for a crew of up to six people, including crew cabins, a kitchen, showers, double berths, heating and air conditioning.