Kotug and Seabulk Team Up in the Bahamas

Kotug and Seabulk Towing have won a contract with Borco Towing to handle all towage operations at the Buckeye Bahamas Hub in Freeport, the largest petroleum products terminal in the Western Hemisphere. 

Buckeye Bahamas Hub is a 26 million barrel product storage facility with eight berths for tankers, including two that can handle VLCCs. The facility provides blending services for multiple markets, including the Americas, regional consumers and long-haul Asian destinations. It is located within a free trade zone to exempt transshipment cargoes from customs duties. 

The new joint venture – called Kotug Seabulk Maritime LLC – will deploy four tugs and a bunker barge to serve the terminal. The tugs include the Blackbeard, Raptor, Calypso and Junkanoo. 

Kotug has also made headlines in recent years for its contract supporting Shell's giant Prelude FLNG project. The firm is building three purpose-built 100 tonne bollard pull tugs to provide ship assist for LNG carriers calling at the giant floating production platform.