Uzmar, Turkey's most modern and innovative

Uzmar Chairman of the Board Ahmet Noyan Altuğ said, “As a company that has delivered more than 200 sea vehicles to 25 countries on six continents, we are proud of being a Turkish shipyard that is especially preferred by world-renowned operators for their signature projects.” He stated that they provide pilotage and tugboat services as well as emergency response training and services at the ports where they serve with more than 1,000 sea vessels and pilots and more than 450 expert seafarers. 

Uzmar Chairman of the Board Ahmet Noyan Altuğ said that in addition to the tugboat services they provide with 18 high-capability tugboats at three different points in Turkey, they provide pilotage services to more than 10 piers with more than 30 experienced pilots at Aliağa Nemrut Pilotage Station. He emphasized that they will expand their fleet by commissioning two more tugboats they are building and that they will have the most modern and youngest tugboat fleet in Turkey with the introduction of these two tugboats.

Safe and reliable service

Altuğ said, “With the new regulation that came into force in 2019, we added Istanbul Ambarlı Port and Hatay Iskenderun Port to provide tugboat services to Aliağa Nemrut Port and Çanakkale Akçansa Port, where we provide pilotage services. As Uzmar, in addition to our growth both in distance and in pier-coastal facilities, we also fulfilled the investment requirements in the fastest way, such as increasing the number of pilots in a qualified manner. We have more than 30 valuable captains in our experienced pilot staff. With the solid organizational structure we have established, we continue to successfully maintain safe and reliable port services.”

We produce special and different types of tugboats

Stating that they started shipbuilding in the Tuzla region in 1996 and that they continued this activity at the 'Uzmar Shipyard', their modern facility opened in 2005 in the Kocaeli Free Zone, Altuğ said: “Thanks to the enterprise resource planning system SEM ERP which have a software developed by our company, and thanks to our high engineering know-how, we have the capacity to manufacture tugboats of various types and specifications. With our experience of nearly 30 years in port operations, it is a great advantage for us to be able to produce according to the specific needs of each operator to be used in every port of the world by updating and editing according to the feedback from the technical guides in the field of shipbuilding. As a company that has delivered more than 200 vessels to 25 countries on six continents to date, we are proud of being a Turkish shipyard that is preferred by world-renowned operators for their signature projects. We have long-lasting relationships based on trust and loyalty with our customers who prefer Uzmar for projects that add great value to the industry, such as Canada's first IMO Tier III tugboat and the largest Robert Allan Design built in Turkey. Being able to apply our progressive engineering flawlessly is also a reason for us to be proud.”

We are ready for duty 24/7

Providing information about the services they provide in the field of tugboat and pilotage, and the number of fleets, Altuğ said, "We currently provide pilotage and tugboat operations at the ports where we serve with more than 30 sea vehicles, including 18 high-capacity modern tugboats, over 30 pilots and more than 450 expert seafarers. In addition to services, we also provide emergency response services and training. At our new Emergency Response Center, which was recently opened in Nemrut Port, we are ready to work 24/7 with its modern equipment and certified personnel so that we can respond to any fuel leakage and sea pollution that may occur in the region within minutes. In addition to these, we have been providing ship and platform installation services to the shipbreaking area since 2019.”

We provide the highest level of emergency response service against marine pollution

Altuğ said, “We have more than 100 trained and experienced team members who are ready to respond to marine pollution, have OPRC 1-2 and HNS 1-2 certificates. Since 2010, we have carried out 14 marine pollution emergency response exercises, more than 30 seminars and training events and 18 marine pollution emergency response operations for 40 coastal facilities. We regularly renew and refresh the training of our teams. Moreover, our teams are authorized to provide training to institutions and organizations. By organizing seminars and trainings, we ensure that other institutions benefit from the refinements of our service quality. Our existing tugboats in our fleet have "Oil Recovery Ship" notation to be used in our operations managed by the Operations Management Team consisting of 25 people. Our tugboats, equipped with the latest technology equipment, are capable of responding to fires and marine pollution that may occur at sea and coastal facilities at the highest level with our qualified personnel. 

We are the Project Coordinator of AUTOPLAN

Stating that the use of technology is at the forefront for them, Altuğ said, “The AUTOPLAN Project (Autonomous Navigation Assistant System for Sliding and Semi-Sliding Boats) is a European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Development Project supported by ERA-NET Cofund by the German Ministry of Economy and Energy and TÜBİTAK Turkey. It is funded within the framework of the Innovation Program MarTERA (Marine and Marine Technologies for a New Age). As Uzmar, we undertake the task of Project Coordinator in the AUTOPLAN Project. Our R&D department and design department work with great devotion to make the project the most perfect. The project, which is also supported by TÜBİTAK, has very valuable contributors such as OES Denizcilik, FRIENDSHIP Systems, Berlin Technical University and SVA Potsdam as well as Uzmar.” 

Explaining the vision of the project as designing and producing a more efficient and environmentally friendly boat, Altuğ said, “This low fuel consumption and environmentally friendly boat will also be able to reach high speeds. We are developing Autonomous Navigation Assistant (INA) so that the boat can predict critical situations that may occur during operations and increase operational safety. We will integrate autonomous systems that will reduce the impact of the human factor in marine accidents and increase safety and comfort, into the boat design optimized within the project. Our model tests for numerical simulations and validation have been completed, and work is underway to carry out comprehensive full-scale sea tests of the optimized prototype autonomous boat."

We will begin construction of four methanol-powered tugboats

Providing information about the plans and projects they are planning to implement in the coming period, Altuğ said, “As part of our plan to replace all the tugboats in our fleet with environmentally friendly new constructions and to offer a solution to the global market for sustainable low emission needs, last month we launched a new project that includes the design of four different tugboats running on methanol fuel. We signed the agreement with the world-renowned Canadian ship design firm Robert Allan Ltd. We were the first company to make significant progress in the field of alternative fuels applicable both in port operations and in the shipbuilding industry. This is a very proud development for both our country and our company, Uzmar. Signing the contracts for this new methanol-powered design series exclusive to Uzmar is a big step towards a new era for all of us. We aim to start the construction of tugboats in the last quarter of 2022 and we will announce the design features in the coming days.”

Three of the tugs that pulled Ever Given out of the canal were built by Uzmar

Explaining how much they export as Uzmar to the world market and in which ports and regions these vessels operate, Altuğ said, “We have exported more than 200 vessels to 25 countries in six continents so far. The tugboats we have built take on very important tasks all over the world, from the Suez Canal to LNG terminals in Africa. Three of the tugboats that managed to get the ship Ever Given out of the canal, which recently ran aground in the Suez Canal, causing the canal to be closed to passage and affecting the world economy, were Uzmar construction. It gives us an indescribable pride to see the success of our Turkish engineering in the seas of the world with such concrete examples.” 

TURK MARINEWS