SAAM Towage Orders Five ASD Escort Tugs From Sanmar in Americas Fleet Expansion

SAAM Towage has signed an agreement with Turkey's Sanmar Shipyards for the construction of five new azimuth stern drive escort tugs, based on designs from Canada's Robert Allan Ltd, with the vessels destined for deployment across Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Chile. The signing ceremony was held at Sanmar's stand at ITS 2026 in Gothenburg on 20 May, building on a relationship that has already seen Sanmar deliver 13 tugs to the Chilean owner.

 

Fleet Composition and Technical Specifications

 

Four of the five vessels will be RAmparts 2400SX-MKII designs and one will be a RAstar 2900SX, both azimuth stern drive configurations optimised for production at Sanmar Shipyards. All five tugs will be equipped with Kongsberg Maritime azimuth thrusters and CAT engines, delivering bollard pull of between 70 and 80 tonnes, alongside FiFi 1 firefighting capabilities. The RAmparts and RAstar designs from Robert Allan Ltd are well-established in the global harbour towage market, providing a combination of high manoeuvrability, escort capability, and operational reliability that makes them suited to the range of port environments across SAAM's Latin American network. The FiFi 1 firefighting specification adds versatility that extends the operational utility of the tugs beyond standard harbour towage into emergency response roles.

 

Strategic Context for the Americas Market

 

SAAM Towage holds a leading position in the towage market across the Americas, operating across multiple countries where port activity, energy infrastructure, and container trade continue to generate sustained demand for harbour and escort towage services. The deployment of the five new tugs across Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Chile reflects the geographic breadth of the company's portfolio and the varied operational requirements that different ports and terminals within that network present. Each vessel is described by SAAM chief executive Hernán Gómez as designed to meet a specific operational need, indicating that the order reflects targeted capacity planning rather than generic fleet expansion. The alignment with SAAM's growth strategy to 2030 provides a clear commercial horizon within which the investment is expected to deliver returns through improved service capability and fleet efficiency.

 

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Long-Standing Sanmar Relationship

 

The contract extends a relationship between SAAM and Sanmar that has produced 13 tugs for the Chilean owner to date, providing a track record of delivery quality and commercial reliability that underpins the confidence to place a further five-vessel order. Long-standing shipbuilder relationships carry operational value in the tug sector because they reduce technical uncertainty around vessel performance and allow operators to standardise spare parts, maintenance procedures, and crew training across the fleet. The continued engagement with Robert Allan Ltd designs through Sanmar also provides continuity in the design philosophy and operational characteristics of vessels entering the fleet, supporting simpler fleet management across multiple deployment locations.

 

Outlook for SAAM Fleet Development

 

The five-vessel order is described as part of a long-term roadmap to continue strengthening SAAM's fleet and supporting customer growth across the markets in which the company operates. The 2030 strategy horizon suggests that further fleet investment beyond the current order is likely, as SAAM continues to position itself for growth in a region where port infrastructure development, energy project expansion, and container trade volumes are all generating additional demand for towage services. With an established shipbuilder relationship, proven vessel designs, and a clear geographic deployment plan, the new order demonstrates a disciplined approach to fleet renewal that balances commercial ambition with operational continuity.