The vessels will be built at SDHI’s shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat, with deliveries scheduled to commence in early 2028

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Jakraphong Pongpotganatam

Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Ltd (SDHI) has secured an export contract worth up to ₹750 crore from Denmark-based towage operator Svitzer A/S to build four advanced TRAnsverse 3200 harbour tugs, marking the Indian shipbuilder’s fourth consecutive overseas order.The vessels will be built at SDHI’s shipyard in Pipavav, Gujarat, with deliveries scheduled to commence in early 2028, the company said on Thursday. The order follows a competitive evaluation involving leading global shipyards, with the vessels to be built to Bureau Veritas class standards. Co-developed by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. and Svitzer, the patented TRAnsverse 3200 tug is designed for complex harbour towage and escort operations. The vessels feature a hydrodynamic hull and omni-directional propulsion system, enabling them to safely manoeuvre large ships through congested ports and adverse weather conditions.

The tugs will deliver an 80-tonne bollard pull while offering up to 15% higher fuel efficiency than conventional tug designs, according to the company. They will also be biofuel-ready, compliant with IMO Tier-III emission standards and equipped with FiFi1 firefighting capability, supporting lower emissions and enhanced emergency response during port operations.“It is indeed a notable achievement for SDHI to construct one of the world’s most sophisticated towage vessels. Svitzer’s rigorous evaluation process reaffirms the strength of our engineering capabilities in the niche, high-specification vessel segment,” Rear Admiral Vipin Kumar Saxena (Retd.), Chief Executive Officer of SDHI, said.Headquartered in Copenhagen, Svitzer operates a fleet of more than 500 vessels globally. The latest order is part of the company’s long-term fleet renewal programme aimed at deploying next-generation, high-efficiency tugboats across ports and terminals worldwide. The vessels will be built at SDHI’s Pipavav facility on Gujarat’s west coast, adjacent to a port where Svitzer already operates harbour towage services.Published on August 6, 2026