Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said a R1.4-billion contract to produce nine tugboats for its nationwide ports continued to progress on time and within budget, with the first tug due to be handed over in January next year.

“Despite the challenges of energy disruptions, the project team is forging ahead and has made impressive progress, with around 11% of the fabrication and construction on the project completed thus far,” TNPA programme manager Eugene Rappetti said on Thursday.

The new fleet of nine high-quality tugs, produced by Durban-based Southern African Shipyards, would replace ageing tugboats at the ports of Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay and Saldanha.

At 42 m long, 15 m wide and with a bollard pull of 100 t, the fleet would include one of the most powerful harbour tugs in the world, while the remaining eight 31 m tugs were marginally bigger than the existing tugs, but offered a more powerful 70 t pull.

Two tugs would each be allocated to the ports of Durban, Richards Bay and Port Elizabeth, while the Port of Saldanha, which handled the largest carriers and had a history of vessel groundings, would receive three tugs.

Rappetti said the TNPA presently had 29 tugs in service nationally, but the requirement for larger tugboat fleets had increased in line with larger commercial vessels calling at South African ports more frequently.

“The increased bollard pull of these new generation tugs meets international standards and they also feature the latest global technology. The tugs have propulsion that makes them highly manoeuvrable and able to change the direction and thrust almost instantaneously, while guiding large vessels safely into our ports,” he explained.

According to Rappetti, the first tug was already about 35% completed, while its hull and superstructure were 70% completed. Following the first delivery next year, the completed tugboats would be handed over to the TNPA every three months until the last one was launched in early 2018.