Spain's Boluda Secures 10-Year Tug Service Contract at Australia's Port of Bunbury

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 12, Southern Ports, the port authority for southern Australia, awarded a 10-year tug service contract for the Port of Bunbury in Western Australia to Spain's Boluda Towage following a competitive tender. The company will take over from incumbent operator Svitzer Australia in December 2026, providing towage and in-harbour manoeuvring services for vessels entering and leaving the port, and will deploy two new tugs compliant with the International Maritime Organization's Tier III nitrogen oxide emission standards.

The tug deployment will be phased in. The first new tug is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Bunbury in December 2026, with the second expected in February 2027. Until both new vessels are in place, Boluda will temporarily deploy a tug from its Esperance fleet to maintain service, ensuring port towage capacity during the operator transition. The incumbent operator Svitzer currently deploys the tugs Svitzer Koombana and Svitzer Marlston at the Port of Bunbury; upon expiry of its contract it will withdraw from tug services at the port but will continue to serve the Port of Albany, also operated by Southern Ports.

Both new tugs comply with the International Maritime Organization's Tier III nitrogen oxide emission standards. These standards impose stricter control requirements on nitrogen oxide emissions from marine diesel engines and apply to the relevant vessel engines and emission certification scope. The introduction of the new vessels will replace the existing service arrangements and bring equipment meeting higher emission requirements to the Port of Bunbury tug service fleet.

The Port of Bunbury is located approximately 175 kilometres south of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and is an important bulk and project cargo port in the state's south-west. Over the past year, the port handled 16.9 million tonnes of cargo and received 418 vessel calls, with major cargo types including alumina, grain, spodumene, woodchips, mineral sands and large project equipment. The port's cargo throughput and vessel traffic frequency place sustained demands on the availability of tug services.

Following this contract award, Bunbury will become the 9th port where Boluda provides tug services in Australia and its 2nd port in Western Australia. The company previously took over tug operations at the Port of Esperance in November 2025, entering the port through the acquisition of local tug operator Mackenzie Marine and Towage. With the award of the Bunbury contract, its port service network in Western Australia has further expanded.