Rolls-Royce has won an order to supply MTU engines for four tugs for Aliança Navegação. Credit: Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG.

Rolls-Royce has secured an order to provide its MTU engines for four tugs to be operated by German shipping line Hamburg Süd’s Brazilian subsidiary Aliança Navegação.

The tugs are currently being built by Detroit Brasil, a shipyard based in Itajai, Brazil.

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Aliança Navegação currently operates a fleet of seven harbour tugs, two of which are deployed in São Francisco in the north of Santa Catarina, Brazil, while the remaining five are yet to be commissioned.

All the seven vessels are powered by Rolls-Royce’s 16-cylinder MTU Series 4000 propulsion systems.

Detroit Brasil-Starnav executive vice-president Sergio Camiruaga said: “The MTU engines used for example by our subsidiary Starnav in tugboats are convincing in terms of maintenance and fuel consumption, and some of these vessels have been in service for over seven years.

“We have 14 16V 4000M63 units in our fleet and some of them have clocked up almost 30,000 operating hours.”

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“Brazil is an important focal point, and it is a country where we plan to expand our market presence even further going forward.”

Since 2010, Rolls-Royce has been providing its MTU-Series 4000 engines to Detroit Brasil for powering harbour tugs and platform supply vessels.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems Marine and Government Business unit head Knut Müller said: “MTU takes around 30% of the Brazilian offshore market and also holds a leading position in Brazil’s general commercial marine propulsion market overall.

“For us, Brazil is an important focal point, and it is a country where we plan to expand our market presence even further going forward.”

In March, Rolls-Royce was selected to provide additional MTU engines to Singapore-based fast ferry operator Majestic Ferry.

The engines will be used to power seven new ferries that are being built at PT Cahaya shipyard in Batam, Indonesia.

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