A symbol of strength and safety at sea: Eregli Shipyard

A significant milestone was celebrated at Eregli Shipyard, marking the official commencement of construction for two of Türkiye’s most powerful escort tugs, being built for the General Directorate of Coastal Safety (KEGM). The steel-cutting ceremony symbolized the first tangible step in bringing this major project to life—one that reflects Türkiye’s steadfast commitment to advancing maritime safety and operational capability in its territorial waters, and once again demonstrates the engineering excellence of Med Marine’s Eregli Shipyard. 

Under the contract signed on May 5, 2025, Eregli Shipyard will construct, outfit, test, and deliver two state-of-the-art escort tugs, each measuring 42 meters in length and boasting a minimum bollard pull of 130 tonnes. Designed to perform under the most challenging conditions, these vessels will feature FiFi-I class firefighting systems, advanced control technologies, and high-precision manoeuvrability to ensure rapid and reliable response in emergency operations.

The ceremony was attended by senior representatives from KEGM and Eregli Shiyard, including Mr. Mustafa Bankaoğlu, General Director of KEGM, and Mr. Gökmen Kınık, Deputy General Director of KEGM, among other distinguished guests from the organization. The event highlighted the shared sense of pride and responsibility in building vessels that will enhance the safety of Turkish seas and contribute to the nation’s maritime strength.

Reflecting on the occasion, Mrs. Yıldız Bozkurt Ozcan, General Manager of Med Marine Holding, expressed his enthusiasm, stating:

“Today, we begin a project of national importance—two powerful escort tugs that will stand as symbols of Türkiye’s maritime resilience and engineering excellence. Each plate of steel we cut today represents our dedication to safeguarding our coasts, advancing our shipbuilding capabilities, and contributing to a safer maritime future for the nation.”

As sparks flew and steel met flame, this ceremony marked more than the beginning of construction—it marked the continuation of Eregli Shipyard’s enduring mission to serve Türkiye’s maritime future through innovation, reliability, and craftsmanship.

Technical specifications of the tugboats:

Length: 42 m

Max. Draft: 7,5 m

Depth: 6,4 m

Beam: 16 m

Bollard Pull: Min. 130 tons

Speed: 14 knots

Crew: 11 persons

Eregli Shipyard

Ereğli Shipyard is an independent shipyard constructed in Eregli, Black Sea located right next to Eregli Iron and Steel Works. Employed by Med Marine Group, Eregli Shipyard has completed numerous projects mainly in tugboat and chemical tanker segments since 2004 both for Med Marine’s own fleet and for global clients. Up until now, various chemical tankers have been constructed in different sizes, ranging from 5.300 DWT to 25.000 DWT in Eregli Shipyard. Many tugboat projects, including both conventional and ASD type tugboats ranging from 16m x 20 TBP to 36m x 95 TBP, have been built and delivered. The total area of the shipyard is some 162.000 sqm being one of the biggest in Turkey, and the biggest in terms of slipway capacity. 

The shipyard facilities consist of 30.000 sqm of covered high ceiling steel workshop areas with overhead cranes, 3200 sqm of office, dining, social facilities and en-suite rooms in three fully air-conditioned high- tech buildings. There are 4 slipways of various dimensions and slopes in Eregli Shipyard. The 220 L x 38 W mtrs slipway, being one of the biggest ever built so far in Turkey, is capable of accommodating handymax or even panamax size new buildings. The steel processing capacity is 32,000 tonnes per year. The shipyard is self-sufficient in many ways from having its shop blasting and priming facilities to all the way to finishing processes.