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Svitzer Expands Brazilian Fleet

tugs
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Published Jan 25, 2017 4:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

Svitzer has announced that it is more than doubling its fleet of Brazilian flag tugs in 2017. The company has also unveiled a new service in Brazil’s Paranagua Port.

Two new Brazilian-flag tugs are starting operations at the Paranagua Port in January, strengthening Svitzer’s position in the south of the country where it already operates at Sao Francisco do Sul and Itapoa. 

Additionally, Svitzer is building four new tugs at Inace shipyard in Fortaleza, Brazil, and expects delivery in the second half of 2017. This means Svitzer will have 10 Brazilian-flag ships in operation by year-end. 

Recently, Svitzer started operations in Argentina with nine tugs, assigning there some of the foreign-flag ships originally brought to Brazil in 2015. At that time, Svitzer acquired a controlling stake in the Brazilian harbor towage operator Transmar Sericos Maritimos and began offering towage services in the country for the first time.
 
Svitzer, which is part of Maersk Group and also operates a PSV in Brazil, has appointed Rutger Thulin to head operations there. Thulin is the former CFO for Svitzer in Europe, where the company operates 110 tugs. 

The new Paranagua vessels - 77 and 75 TBP tugs – are of Robert Allan design and were built at Cheoy Lee Shipyards.