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Kongsberg Maritime has entered into a new agreement with Turkish shipbuilder and tug operator Med Marine to supply a suite of advanced azimuth thrusters along with electric and hydraulic towing winches for nine newly built tugboats.
The contract encompasses equipment for Med Marine’s upcoming VoltRA electric tug — the first fully electric tug powered by a Caterpillar battery system provided by Borusan Cat. The vessel will be constructed at Med Marine’s Ereğli Shipyard and fitted with a Kongsberg Maritime US205 azimuth thruster.
The remaining eight tugs in the deal include RAmparts 2500-W and RAstar 3200-W class vessels. These units will be equipped with high-performance Kongsberg Maritime US255 azimuth thrusters.
Kongsberg Maritime’s latest US-series thrusters are fully compatible with hybrid and all-electric propulsion systems, making them an ideal match for the maritime sector’s shift toward cleaner and more efficient operations.
In addition to the thrusters, the agreement includes five shipsets of Kongsberg Maritime’s newly launched electric towing winches and four shipsets of hydraulic towing winches. Designed specifically for the tug market and unveiled earlier this year, the new electric winches are engineered to withstand the demanding workloads of next-generation electric tug operations. With frequency converter-driven electric motors, they offer higher efficiency and a reduced environmental footprint compared with traditional hydraulic systems.
“This contract with Med Marine is a key milestone for both companies and for the wider maritime industry,” said Nils-Reidar Valle, senior vice president for naval and workboat sales at Kongsberg Maritime. “By integrating our proven US-series thrusters and electric winches into Med Marine’s fleet, we are demonstrating how advanced propulsion solutions and energy-efficient engineering can combine to deliver powerful, sustainable performance. We are proud to support a project that raises the bar for clean maritime innovation.”
Yıldız Bozkurt Ozcan, general manager of Med Marine, added: “This collaboration marks an important step for Med Marine as a global shipbuilder committed to innovation and environmental responsibility. Working with Kongsberg Maritime allows us to combine world-class propulsion and deck machinery technologies with our long-standing shipbuilding expertise. The VoltRA series reflects our shared ambition to lead the tug industry toward a more efficient, electric, and environmentally conscious future.”
