Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards said it has delivered Al JIMI 1 (Yenicay VII), the latest addition to Abu Dhabi Ports’ growing tug fleet, which already includes two sister vessels, Al SHAHEED (Yenicay IV) and AlHILI 1 (Yenicay VI), which were delivered by Sanmar in 2017.
The Yenicay Class tugs are based on the Robert Allan Ltd Rascal 1800 basic design and are equipped to service both Musaffah Port and Zayed Port and complement Abu Dhabi Ports’ existing fleet. Management of these tugs falls under Abu Dhabi Ports’ Marine Services arm– SAFEEN.
“We’re pleased with the pace of growth of SAFEEN and are sure that these new additions run in parallel with new customers coming on-board. We demand the highest quality products for our customers and it is, therefore, important that our suppliers are also on the same level of pedigree,” said Captain Maktoum Al Houqani, Chief Marine Services Officer, SAFEEN.
Although these vessels are of a standard design, they have been modified to suit the extreme local conditions. The hot climate package includes a modified and upgraded HVAC system serving all accommodation spaces, increased insulation thicknesses and improved overall fan capacities.
The Yenicay tugs are ASD configuration with dimensions measuring 18.7m x 9.2m and utilize Caterpillar C32 main engines each developing 969kW at 1,800 rev/min. These drive Veth VZ-900 azimuthing stern thrusters. On sea trials, Yenicay VII attained a bollard pull of 32 metric tons and a speed ahead of around 12 knots.
According to the builder, this class of compact tugs has been specifically designed to provide high performance line and ship handling capabilities typical in smaller ports and harbors in the region. In addition, with the upgraded seawater cooling and HVAC they will ensure reliability and crew comfort during the extremely high ambient air and seawater conditions faced during summer months in the region.