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The Rio Maguari shipyard, in Pará, will build two TRAnsverse tugs for Svitzer, a Danish giant in the maritime towing sector. The vessels are designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2027 and the first quarter of 2028, further expanding the shipping company’s fleet in Brazil.
A Brazilian shipyard has just signed a groundbreaking contract to build two TRAnsverse tugs for a Danish shipping company that is expanding its fleet in the country. The agreement was announced on May 14, 2026, and involves Svitzer, a global giant in the maritime towing sector, and the Rio Maguari shipyard, located in Belém, in the state of Pará. The vessels will be the first TRAnsverse units ordered to operate in the Americas, marking a technological and strategic advancement for the Brazilian port industry.
The motivation for the contract combines capacity expansion, competitive positioning, and regional development. Svitzer aims to expand the available fleet in Brazilian ports to serve increasingly larger ships that call at strategic terminals in the country. The move also aligns with the shipping company’s strategy to generate a value chain in the regions where it operates, by contracting the local shipyard instead of importing ready-made vessels. The delivery of the new tugs is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027 and the first quarter of 2028.
What is a TRAnsverse tug
The TRAnsverse is a new class of tugs developed by Svitzer in partnership with Robert Allan Ltd., a Canadian naval engineering firm globally recognized for designing this type of vessel. The concept aims to improve maneuverability, efficiency, and operational capacity in increasingly busy ports.
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Unlike conventional designs, the TRAnsverse was conceived to offer gains in different areas of port operations. The model already has 16 units ordered or in operation around the world, in sizes ranging from 26, 29, 32, and 35 meters, and with different propulsion configurations, including electric, hybrid, and conventional diesel.
The arrival of the platform in Brazil puts the country on the global map of this new generation of tugboats. Until now, no TRAnsverse unit was planned to operate in ports of the Americas, which makes the contract closed with the Rio Maguari shipyard even more relevant for the national port sector.
The Rio Maguari shipyard already delivers tugboats to Svitzer
The contract for the two TRAnsverse tugboats is not the first experience of the Brazilian shipyard with Svitzer. Rio Maguari had already been building a series of vessels for the Danish shipping company, based on a different design, the RAmparts 2300, also from Robert Allan Ltd.
The tugboats of the RAmparts 2300 project have their own technical characteristics. Each unit has a beam of 11 meters, ABS classification, FiFi1 fire-fighting system, two main diesel engines, two azimuth thrusters, and a maximum speed of 13 knots. The static bollard pull of 70 tons places these vessels among the most powerful in the segment operating today in Brazilian ports, capable of assisting large ships in complex maneuvers.
In March, Rio Maguari delivered the Svitzer Cassino tugboat, with azimuth stern drive, or ASD in English, to Svitzer. The vessel is already in operation at the Port of Pecém, in Ceará. The delivery occurred shortly after the arrival of the Svitzer Copacabana, which continues to operate in Paranaguá, Paraná, supporting LNG carriers at a floating storage and regasification unit for natural gas.
Why Brazil won this strategic contract
The choice of the Rio Maguari shipyard to build the first TRAnsverse tugboats in the Americas reflects a clear strategy by Svitzer. The Danish shipping company seeks to consolidate a local value chain in each region where it operates, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers and strengthening the shipbuilding industry in the countries where it maintains a commercial presence.
Daniel Reedtz Cohen, Svitzer’s general manager for the Americas, commented on the importance of the contract in an official statement released by the company.
“This is another strategic step in our operations in the country, which generates gains on several fronts and boosts the already advanced fleet that Svitzer operates in Brazil. We are also achieving one of our main objectives, which is to generate a value chain for the region where we operate, directly supporting the development of the maritime industry,” said the executive.
This positioning directly favors the Brazilian naval industry, which has been reorganizing after years of decline and is seeking new international contracts to regain production volume. Belém, home to the Rio Maguari shipyard, gains relevance on the global sector map with the arrival of this type of technology.
Technical specifications of the new vessels
The two TRAnsverse tugs to be built at the Rio Maguari shipyard feature cutting-edge characteristics within the concept developed by Svitzer and Robert Allan Ltd. The exact configuration of the Brazilian models has not yet been fully disclosed, but they follow the standard of the TRAnsverse family already in operation in other regions.
The central points of this new class include:
- Available sizes of 26, 29, 32, and 35 meters
- Electric, hybrid, or conventional diesel propulsion configurations
- Focus on lateral maneuverability, a feature that gives the project its name
- Suitability for increasingly larger ships in congested ports
The difference compared to previous designs lies in the maneuvering capability. The TRAnsverse tugs are designed to offer better performance in transverse movements, providing pilots and captains with greater precision during the approach and docking of large ships in ports with limited space.
Svitzer’s fleet in Brazil in constant expansion
Svitzer is not a newcomer to Brazil. The company, part of the Danish group A.P. Moller-Maersk, has been operating in the country for years with a fleet of tugs that support some of the main national port terminals. The new order reinforces this position.
The Svitzer Copacabana, delivered before the Svitzer Cassino, operates in Paranaguá supporting LNG carriers at a floating storage and regasification unit. This type of operation has gained strategic importance in Brazil in recent years, with the growth of liquefied natural gas use as an energy alternative to supply low hydraulic moments in electricity generation reservoirs.
The more recent Svitzer Cassino operates at the Port of Pecém, in Ceará, a terminal that has gained importance as an entry point for different cargoes in the Brazilian Northeast. The presence of modern tugs in terminals like Pecém and Paranaguá indicates the growing importance of these ports in the country’s foreign trade.
The impact on the Brazilian naval industry
The contract for the two TRAnsverse tugs for Svitzer represents much more than two new vessels on the horizon of the Rio Maguari shipyard. The agreement symbolizes the gradual recovery of the Brazilian naval industry, which has been reorganizing after the downturn cycle following the crisis of companies like Petrobras during Operation Car Wash.
Brazil has a tradition in the construction of port support vessels, with shipyards distributed across different regions of the country. The choice of Rio Maguari for an unprecedented project in the Americas shows that the technical competitiveness and industrial capacity of national shipyards continue to be recognized by major international shipowners, even after turbulent years.
The regional impact is also considerable. Belém gains visibility on the global map of the naval industry, with direct investment in the local production chain and the generation of qualified jobs throughout the months of vessel construction. The delivery scheduled for 2027 and 2028 ensures continuous activity for the shipyard during this period.
What to expect from the next steps
The construction of the two TRAnsverse tugs at the Brazilian shipyard must follow a strict schedule, given the complexity of the project and the contractual deadlines with Svitzer. The first unit is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2027, and the second in the first quarter of 2028.
During this period, Rio Maguari is expected to maintain parallel operations with other projects already underway for the same Danish shipowner. The combination of continuous work on the RAmparts 2300 tugs and the arrival of the first TRAnsverse places the Brazilian shipyard as one of Svitzer’s main suppliers in the American continent.
For the Brazilian port sector, the conclusion of the contract should yield practical gains starting in 2027 and 2028. The entry into operation of the new vessels will increase the capacity to serve increasingly larger ships in the ports where Svitzer maintains a presence, contributing to the efficiency and competitiveness of national maritime logistics.
The unprecedented order of TRAnsverse tugs for the Rio Maguari shipyard reinforces the argument that the Brazilian naval industry has the strength to compete again with global suppliers. The choice of Belém as the base for the first models of this new class in the Americas gives the sector an important positive signal at a time of reorganization.
And you, what do you think about this news? Do you believe that the Brazilian naval industry can regain the prominence it had in previous decades? Do you think that international contracts like this can boost other shipyards in the country? Leave your comment, share your opinion, and tag someone who follows the maritime sector.
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