Sweden has begun the acquisition of four new harbor tugs for the armed forces.
The order is part of an effort to expand the military’s transport capabilities for goods, trucks, containers, as well as solid and water waste across naval base battalions.
The country’s defense procurement agency (FMV) wrote that the upcoming fleet will also replenish supplies for other surface vessels and submarines.
Currently, the government is reviewing proposals for the tugboat procurement. Another phase will produce related documentation regarding the platforms’ specifications.
The first two vessels are scheduled to arrive in 2029, with the remainder delivered in 2030.
“The push ships mean that other ships will not have to go into port to, for example, bunker diesel or load ammunition, but they should be able to do that out at sea,” FMV Project Manager Carl Johan Widmar explained.
“The new ability that the strait ships have means that the logistics of the navy’s ships will become more flexible and less vulnerable.”
“The project’s strategy is that we buy a civilian vessel which we then adapt by adding the military systems at a separate shipyard later.”
Harbor Tug Specifications
FMV noted that the future harbor tugs will each have a length of 42 meters (138 feet) and a width of 10.5 meters (34 feet).
The ship will have a speed of 12 knots (22 kilometers/14 miles per hour) and the ability to deploy for seven days.
The vehicles will have accommodations for up to 14 personnel, 35 passengers, 90 cubic meters of fuel, 10 cubic meters of water, 55 tons (55,000 kilograms) of deck load, and 20 tons (20,000 kilograms) of general payload.
Increasing Swedish Maritime Fleet
The latest project is part of Stockholm’s 2020 national defense framework to modernize its maritime security assets.
In March, the government partnered with Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Armon Vigo to supply two work vessels for the Swedish Navy.
The ships will be delivered between 2027 and 2028, and will sail for robotic, underwater, diving, and salvage operations.
Last year, Sweden announced the employment of additional surface combat ships and artillery vessels. Simultaneously, the country accepted a spy ship to replace the navy’s older intelligence platform commissioned in the 1980s.
In 2022, Stockholm awarded contracts to Dutch defense industry partner Damen Shipyards for four Ice-class tug boats for the navy and seven patrol vessels for the coast guard.
The keel for the Ice-class harbor tug system was laid in Dubai the same year.