Boluda Towage has welcomed a newly built azimuth stern drive (ASD) tug to its West African operations, adding capacity to support ship handling and towage services at the Port of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire as regional port infrastructure expands.
The 24.5-metre tug, VB Togolais, was built by Türkiye’s Sanmar as part of its Bogacay series and delivered to Boluda’s operations in Abidjan, with the vessel featuring a 12-metre beam, 4.5-metre depth and a total output of 4,770 kW from two Caterpillar 3516-E HD engines. The newbuild strengthens Boluda’s towage capability in a port that serves as a major gateway for trade across Côte d’Ivoire and the wider West African region.
The ASD configuration gives the tug enhanced manoeuvrability and control, enabling it to assist vessels safely in confined harbour waters and under demanding weather conditions, with the vessel’s 4,770 kW output providing the power needed for berthing, unberthing, escort and emergency-response duties. The delivery reflects a broader pattern of investment in African towage fleets, where operators are deploying modern, high-powered vessels to support new terminals, larger vessels and expanding cargo volumes.
Boluda’s West African deployment comes as the company continues to expand its presence across the continent, with its Moroccan subsidiary, West Med Towage, having taken delivery of two ASD tugs—VB Betoya and VB Rif—for operations at Nador East, while a third vessel, VB Gourogu, was en route to support operations at the Nador West Med port development. The three Moroccan tugs are 28-metre vessels built by Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam to the ASD 2813 design, each producing 5,120 kW from two Caterpillar 3516-C diesel engines.
The arrival of VB Togolais in Abidjan is part of a wider wave of tugboat deliveries across Africa, where new ports, terminals and industrial projects are driving demand for modern towage capacity, with operators including Boluda, Winning Logistics and AD Ports Group’s Noatum Maritime taking delivery of numerous new vessels to support developments ranging from container transshipment hubs and LNG export terminals to mining export operations. In Ghana, a Damen-built ASD 2813 tug, E-Ten, co-owned by CSL and SMT Shipping through the Mariac joint venture, has begun operating at the Tema terminal, featuring an 83-tonne bollard pull, 13-knot top speed, FiFi1 firefighting system and total output of 5,050 kW.
The expansion of towage capacity comes as African ports prepare for increased traffic and larger vessels, with Nador West Med, one of the largest port infrastructure developments currently underway in Africa, scheduled to begin operations in 2027 as a container transshipment hub and gateway for bulk commodity cargoes, while the Boluda Towage–Marsa Maroc consortium will provide towage and assistance services at the new facility. The investment in modern, high-capacity tugs reflects the growing recognition that efficient, reliable towage services are essential to supporting the continent’s expanding trade infrastructure and ensuring safe navigation in increasingly busy ports.
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