Kongsberg Maritime  has just signed a sizeable contract with Med Marine in Turkey to deliver 32 high-performance, future-proof US series thrusters for installation on new Azimuth Stern Drive  tugboats.

KM and Med Marine have an excellent longstanding relationship with many Kongsberg-equipped Med Marine tugs delivering reliable daily service in most of the world’s major ports.

The tug market is very important to KM and since last year the market trends have turned positive after the worldwide pause in shipbuilding due to the pandemic. The shipping industry, and the terminals and harbors that serve it are now in renewed need of tugs to assist, and in general, the market is looking very positive.

KM’s US series thrusters have been a popular choice for these, and in the tug market in general, which is proven by over 6000 globally delivered US units in the past 50+ years. The US series thrusters have evolved over the five decades they have been in the market as shipyards are searching for ways to cut both time and costs from boat building processes, and the shipping industry sets ever higher standards for performance.

US Series thrusters now offer project-specific Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling capabilities, while the range of achievable propeller and nozzle combinations ensures the highest possible standards of operational efficiency.

Another recent feature is the HD slipping clutch which enables cost efficient Fi-Fi (Fire Fighting) operations. Three of the 16 Med Marine tugs will also feature KM’s Pro-Duct nozzle. This high efficiency nozzle and propeller combination has been shown to provide higher bollard pull for the same power input as an equivalent TK nozzle.

Yıldız Bozkurt Özcan, General Manager at Med Marine says: “In the maritime industry you can’t get much more demanding than the duty cycle of a tug’s azimuth drive unit. Following three decades of fitting Kongsberg thrusters into our tugs we know that with the US series thrusters we are making a solid investment for our customers in a well- proven, reliable product that has evolved to keep up with the demands placed by our modern, high bollard pull tugs.”

Tomi Venttola, KM’s Sales Manager for Propulsion and Engines says: “I want to thank Med Marine for their excellent co-operation over the past months it has taken to negotiate this significant contract to provide these high performance tugs with the right high performance propulsors. I am very pleased that we were able to close such a large deal and I would like to extend my gratitude to the regional team in Turkey, who worked hard on this contract and were key to the final negotiations.”