Svitzer, a global towage provider, has signed a contract with Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI) to build four 32-metre TRAnsverse 3200 tugs at SDHI’s Pipavav shipyard in Gujarat, India.

The agreement marks Svitzer’s first contract with SDHI and brings the total number of TRAnsverse vessels currently under construction in Svitzer’s global fleet to 18, excluding contract options.

Deliveries of the first vessels under the order are scheduled from Q1 2028. The tugs will be biofuel-, IMO Tier III- and firefighting class 1 (FiFi1)-ready, and are designed to provide 80-tonne bollard pull.

Kasper Friis Nilaus, CEO of Svitzer, commented: “Our growing TRAnsverse tug fleet offers significant benefits to customers in terms of releasing operational constraints and improving port productivity, sustainability and safety margins. The contract also reflects our continued investment in the Indian maritime sector, highlighting our ongoing commitment to Maritime India Vision 2030, along with Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.”

Nilaus added that the investment “further builds India’s shipyard capability, creates high-value, skilled employment and expands global experience in building the most advanced towage design on the market.”

The TRAnsverse design incorporates what is described as a unique hull design, staple configuration and inline propulsion intended to provide stability, responsiveness and efficiency. According to Svitzer, the design delivers high direct and indirect steering forces at speed compared to conventional tug designs, and can operate at all towage positions around the vessel it is assisting.

Two TRAnsverse 3200 vessels have been in commercial operations for more than 12 months at the Port of Newcastle, Australia. The vessel design is said to have completed more than 3,000 commercial towage jobs across the fleet. Electric and biofuel-ready designs are being built in 26-metre, 29-metre and 32-metre variants.

Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena, IN (retd.), CEO of SDHI, remarked: “It is indeed a notable achievement for SDHI to construct one of the world’s most sophisticated towage vessels. Svitzer’s rigorous evaluation process reaffirms the strength of our engineering capabilities in the niche, high-specification vessel segment. Winning our fourth consecutive export contract also reflects the growing confidence of global category leaders in SDHI’s ability to deliver to the highest international standards.”

The TRAnsverse 3200’s technical specifications include a length overall of 32 metres, a beam of 13.1 metres, and indirect forces at 10 knots of 124 tonnes steering and 186 tonnes braking.