An Indian port operator has ordered a newbuild series of tugboats from one of the nation’s shipyards under a contract valued at RP450 crore (US$52M)

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) is making one of its largest investments in the harbour services fleet in India by ordering eight newbuild tugs from Cochin Shipyard. These vessels will have a bollard pull of around 70 tonnes, making them some of the most powerful in India, and are scheduled to be delivered from December 2026 until May 2028.

Adani’s fleet will total 153 vessels when they are all delivered, with Indian ports benefiting from safer and more efficient vessel operations.

This newbuild construction order also boosts local manufacturing and self-reliance in the maritime sector, which ia key objective of the nation’s government.

“This collaboration to procure from Cochin Shipyard signifies our commitment to enhancing maritime infrastructure in India and demonstrates our confidence in our nation’s production and supply chain,” said APSEZ chief executive and director Ashwani Gupta.

“By leveraging local manufacturing capabilities, we aim to contribute to the Make in India initiative, while ensuring our operations meet international standards of safety and efficiency.”

APSEZ has already contracted the construction of two azimuth stern drive (ASD) tugs with 62 tonnes of bollard pull for Ocean Sparkle, which was acquired by Adani Harbour Services in 2022. Both of these ASD tugs were delivered ahead of schedule and deployed at Paradeep Port and New Mangalore Port in 2024. Cochin Shipyard is also building three ASD tugs for APSEZ as part of its fleet renewal and expansion strategy.

Cochin Shipyard subsidiary Udupi-Cochin Shipyard Ltd delivered Ocean Grace to Ocean Sparkle at the start of December 2023 as the first tug built in India under a government scheme. It was built to a Robert Allan Ltd design and Indian Register of Shipping class for harbour towing and ship assistance in Indian ports, coastal towage and fire-fighting in emergencies.

This 33-m tug has a bollard pull of 62 tonnes, a moulded breadth of 12 m, a moulded hull depth of 5 m, a speed of 12 knots and accommodation for 12 crew.

Source: Riviera.com

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