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Panama City, February 5, 2020. The SAAM Valparaíso, the new tug boat in the SAAM Towage fleet, will soon serve the Colón and Manzanillo ports in Panama.

“We chose this ship for its great power and versatility. Its smaller length adapts perfectly to ports with limited space, where increasingly larger ships are arriving,” said the Technical Manager of SAAM’s Towage Division, Pablo Cáceres.

Sanmar Shipyards provided the ship: an ASD Ramparts 2400-SX class that was built in 2018 and measures 24.40 by 11.25 meters. It has a 70-ton towing capacity thanks to its two Kongsberg (formerly Rolls Royce) 4200 kW motors.

In Panama, SAAM Towage has more than 30 years of experience and is the largest towing services operator. With 15 vessels, it operates in all the country’s ports, both Atlantic and Pacific, providing conventional and special port towage operations to container ships, tankers and bulk carriers.

Additionally, its 100% Panamanian crew receives ongoing training in order to provide the highest level of service, focusing on safety and operational excellence.

Globally, the company has a fleet of more than 150 ships at 70 ports in 9 countries in the Americas, making it one of the leading towing services providers.


SAAM is a Chilean-based multinational corporation providing services for international trade through its three divisions: Port Terminals, Towage and Logistics. With 58 years in business, it is a leading operator of port and towage services in the Americas.