Sanmar has held a ceremony to celebrate the naming of an exclusive design multi-purpose tugboat built for Bulgarian operator BMF Tug Service.

Christened ALIOTH by its new owners, the versatile ASD tug is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAmparts 2400-SX MKII design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd and joins the Sanmar-built tugs ALCOR and AQUILA2 in the BMF Tug Service fleet.

The ceremonial role of Godmother to the tug at the naming ceremony, held at Sanmar’s purpose-built environmentally-friendly shipyard in Turkiye on May 28, was taken by BMF Tug Service’s Chief Financial Officer, Raia Mollova.

Also attending the event were BMF Tug Service CEO Boris Balev, COO Kaloyan Kaloyanov and General Manager Todor Korunchev. Chairman of Sanmar Shipyards, Ali Gürün, Corporate Strategy Director İpek Ali Gürün, and Commercial Director Rüçhan Çivgin presented gifts to their honoured guests.

Measuring 24.4m LOA with a breadth of 12m and depth of 5.45m, ALIOTH is powered by two CAT 3516C main engines, each achieving 2,100 kW to enable a bollard pull of 70 tonnes and speed of 12 knots.

RAmparts tugs are designed for ship-handling, coastal towing, escort, and general-purpose duties, and are widely acknowledged to be the most versatile, multi-purpose type of tugs in use today.

BMF Tug Service is a local company established in Burgas, Bulgaria in 2016 where provides harbour, towing and auxiliary services in and around the port area. ALIOTH is the latest addition to its fleet and is part of a fleet renewal process carried out over recent years.

Cem Seven, Vice Chairman of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “I am delighted that BMF Tug Service has come to us again to provide a versatile multi-purpose tug it requires to meet its specific operational needs. It gives all of us here great pleasure when a client comes back for more. ALIOTH is the most technologically-advanced and environmentally-aware tug in this popular and continually developing class and I am sure that it will be an excellent addition to the BMF fleet.”