April 2022. SAAM Towage Chile will soon receive a new tug, the Mataquito II, which already passed its seaworthiness testing in Turkey, the last step before being commissioned.
The Deputy Maintenance Manager for SAAM Towage Chile and members of its new crew were present for the testing. The vessel set sail from Tuzla, Turkey, this Saturday and should reach Valparaíso around 45 days later.
SAAM Towage Technical Manager Pablo Cáceres commented, “This is the fifth tug built for SAAM Towage by SANMAR Shipyards. Its equipment was specially selected to meet our customers’ expectations. The tug was named after the legendary Mataquito I, the first vessel ever built for the SAAM fleet, which operated from 1963 to 2013. We are pleased with the results of the seaworthiness testing and happy to serve our customers with a high-performance tug boasting 82 tons of bollard pull and constant tension winches with features that are unique in Chile.”
The vessel measures 29 meters wide and 13 meters in beam, and is certified with the “Escort” and “Fire-Fighting 1” class notations.
