TundRA 3200 icebreaking tugboats to be protected with Ecospeed hull coating system

Subsea Industries has received an order for its specialist hull and rudder coatings for application on two Robert Allan Ltd. designed icebreaking tugs under construction at Turkey’s Sanmar Shipyards. 

Located in Tuzla and Altinova, Sanmar Shipyards has been producing tugboats and providing services for numerous countries around the world for four decades. The company celebrated its 40th year anniversary in 2016. More than 200 tugboats benefiting from all this wealth of experience are presently in operation on international seas. They build vessels at its two custom-built, state-of-the-art yards located in Turkey’s shipbuilding heartland.

The pair of 67 tonne bollard pull ice class ASD tugs include a number of special features to cater for arctic conditions. They are specifically designed for the year-round service in the Baltic Sea and particularly in the Northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia which is covered with heavy ice in winter time They will be capable of performing multiple tasks including escort, ship assist, icebreaking and ice management and open sea towing. 

Breaking the ice without risk of breaking the coating

Our hard-type coatings were selected amidst strong competition because of their proven performance in polar waters. Experience has shown that Ecospeed stays on the hull longer and resists the ice far better than the most generally used specialized ice coatings. Ecospeed remains bonded to the ship’s plates even as they flex and bend under ice pressure and impact.

Ecospeed is a certified abrasion resistant ice coating. Owners are allowed to reduce the thickness of the steel of the ice belt if this area is coated with Ecospeed. This gives them a significant financial benefit during newbuild projects. Ecospeed is one of only a few coatings that have received this certificate.

An ice-going hull coating must have low friction characteristics in order to be fuel efficient. But it is not enough for the hull to be smooth and have low friction at launch. It must stay that way for the life of the vessel. Ecospeed will hold up and will not be damaged in the ice and so will remain smooth for the life of the vessel, thus saving fuel. Even if minor repairs are needed in drydock the original quality of the coating remains intact.

RRS Ernest Shackleton and RRS James Clark Ross of British Antarctic Survey have been coated with our products with great and conclusive results. Our coatings have also been selected for the newbuild research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough, the biggest commercial shipbuilding contract in Britain for 30 years. Another 150 applications on ice going hulls have shown that our coating can withstand the impact of ice for many years on end, proving its superior strength and durability.