Sanmar Delivers Fifth Tugboat to VTC for Bulgaria’s Port of Varna

Sanmar Shipyards has delivered KASTRITSI to Bulgarian port operator VTC S.A., adding towing and firefighting capability at the Port of Varna. The 25-meter vessel is the fifth tug Sanmar has supplied to VTC since the companies began working together in 2003.

For Varna, the delivery adds a tug designed to maneuver in narrow port areas and shallow water while handling large commercial ships. KASTRITSI has a towing capacity of more than 50 tons and an Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) propulsion system. VTC says the vessel will help meet rising demand for towing services and expand the fleet’s operating capacity.

Built for close-quarters port work

KASTRITSI is based on the RApport 2500 design by Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd. Its design combines high towing power with maneuverability, features intended to support ship movements in confined areas and waters with limited depth.

Those characteristics matter during berthing and unberthing, when tugs help guide vessels alongside a berth or away from it. VTC plans to use KASTRITSI for those maneuvers with large commercial ships at Varna, Bulgaria’s Black Sea port. The ASD system provides the propulsion arrangement for that work, while the vessel’s towing capacity gives the operator another unit for assisting ships in port.

The tug also carries a FiFi-1 class firefighting system. That equipment gives it a role beyond routine towing: VTC can deploy the vessel to support firefighting and emergency response operations as well as port services. The delivery therefore adds both ship-handling capability and an emergency support function to the Varna fleet.

Fifth vessel in a long-running supply relationship

Sanmar and VTC have worked together since VTC was established in 2003. Their first deliveries were three twin-screw tugboats: SANMAR XII, SANMAR XIII and SANMAR XIV. In 2018, TICHA joined the Bulgarian operator’s fleet. It was built to the RApport 1600SX design, also developed by Robert Allan for Sanmar.

KASTRITSI is the latest addition to that sequence and brings the total number of Sanmar-built tugs delivered to VTC to five. The newest vessel uses a different design from TICHA, with the RApport 2500 platform specified for the work described at Varna. The fleet now includes vessels delivered at different points in the relationship, with KASTRITSI adding the latest capacity to VTC’s operations.

Sanmar said on October 30, 2026, that the tug would operate at Varna under VTC’s ownership. Sanmar Chairman of the Board Cem Seven said the companies had worked together since VTC’s founding and described the delivery as a milestone in a relationship lasting more than 20 years. He also said Sanmar was pleased to see the vessel join the Varna fleet.

Added capacity across VTC’s port operations

VTC Executive Director Rosen Chernaev said the new tug would help address increasing demand for towing services at Varna and expand the operator’s fleet capacity. He also pointed to the vessel as another example of the production quality of the Turkish shipyard and the companies’ long-standing cooperation.

VTC operates in the ports of Varna and Balchik. Its services include ship berthing and lifting, towing, mooring, coastal and offshore towing, and emergency response. KASTRITSI’s stated work at Varna fits directly into that service mix, especially the handling of large commercial vessels and support for response operations.

For port operators, adding a tug with both towing power and firefighting equipment can broaden the work a fleet is prepared to handle. VTC’s immediate focus for KASTRITSI is the growing need for towing at Varna; the vessel’s FiFi-1 system also gives it a defined support role when firefighting or other emergency response is required. Its day-to-day contribution will depend on how VTC assigns it across those port tasks.

The delivery also extends Sanmar’s presence in the Black Sea port services market through a repeat customer relationship. With KASTRITSI now assigned to Varna, the practical measure of the addition will be the capacity it brings to ship movements and the range of support VTC can provide from its fleet.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye