Sanmar Shipyards delivers KASTRITSI, its fifth tugboat to Bulgaria's VTC S.A., enhancing operations at Varna Port after 23 years of partnership.
Sanmar Shipyards has delivered its fifth tugboat as part of a 23-year collaboration with VTC S.A., one of Bulgaria's major port operators.
According to a statement made by Sanmar on October 30, 2026, the tugboat named KASTRITSI will operate at the Port of Varna on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast under its new ownership.
Based on the RApport 2500 design developed by the Canadian ship design company Robert Allan Ltd., the tugboat is designed for safe operations, particularly in narrow port areas and shallow waters, with high towing power and maneuverability.
The 25-meter tugboat has a towing capacity of over 50 tons.
KASTRITSI is equipped with an Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) propulsion system. Designed for shallow water operations, the vessel will be used for the berthing and unberthing maneuvers of large commercial ships within the port.
Equipped with a FiFi-1 class fire-fighting system, KASTRITSI will also be able to support fire-fighting and emergency response operations in addition to port operations.
The commercial relationship between Sanmar and VTC dates back to the establishment of the Bulgarian company in 2003.
At the beginning of their collaboration, Sanmar delivered three twin-screw tugboats named SANMAR XII, SANMAR XIII, and SANMAR XIV to Bulgaria.
In 2018, the tugboat TICHA, featuring the RApport 1600SX design developed by Robert Allan for Sanmar, joined the VTC fleet.
With the latest delivery of KASTRITSI, the number of tugboats provided by Sanmar to the Bulgarian operator has increased to five.
Cem Seven, Chairman of the Board of Sanmar Shipyards, stated in his remarks regarding the delivery that they have been working together with VTC since the company's inception.
Expressing pride in the relationship that has lasted over twenty years between the two companies, Seven noted that the delivery of KASTRITSI represents an important milestone in this collaboration and that they are pleased with the tugboat's addition to the Varna fleet.
Rosen Chernaev, Executive Director of VTC S.A., expressed his satisfaction with the addition of the new tugboat to their fleet.
Chernaev stated that the fifth tugboat built by Sanmar once again highlights the production quality of the Turkish shipyard and the long-term collaboration between the two companies.
He mentioned that the new tugboat will help meet the increasing demand for towing services at Varna Port and noted that KASTRITSI will expand the operational capacity of the VTC fleet.
VTC, which operates in the ports of Varna and Balchik in Bulgaria, conducts ship berthing and lifting, towing, mooring operations, coastal and offshore towing services, as well as emergency response activities.
The delivery of KASTRITSI represents a new example of the presence of Turkish shipyards in the port services market of the Black Sea region.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
