Panama Canal Upgrades Tugboat Fleet

The Panama Canal Authority added five new tugboats to its fleet that assists ships transiting the waterway.

Cheoy Lee Shipyards built the boats with an output capacity of 4,800 horse power and a bollard pull of more than 60 metric tons each.

“These new tugboats are an important acquisition for the operation of the Panama Canal,” said ACP Executive Vice President of Operations Manuel Benítez. “By upgrading our equipment and streamlining processes, Canal operations are improved for the benefit of our customers around the world.”

Along with the acquisition, the Canal moved management of its shipyard to the maritime operations division, headed by Benitez. ACP also instituted a more regular and systemized process of tug maintenance.

An additional 13 tugs, also purchased from Cheoy Lee Shipyards, are scheduled to begin arriving in September 2010. ACP plans to have a total fleet of 46 tugs by 2014.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com .