Wilson Sons, a port and shipping logistics operator with more than 188 years of experience, baptised its newest high-powered tugboat, WS Ariel, on Thursday, 20 August, at Pier Mauá in Rio de Janeiro. WS Ariel is the third high-powered tugboat in the company's current shipbuilding series, following WS Halcyon and WS Capella, which were launched in January and May of this year respectively.

Like its sister vessels, WS Ariel was constructed at Wilson Sons' own shipyard in Guarujá, São Paulo. The tugboat belongs to the ASD 2312 class — ASD stands for Azimuth Stern Drive, a configuration in which the propulsion units rotate through 360 degrees — measuring 23 metres long and 12 metres wide, and is equipped with azimuthal propulsion delivering 73.5 tons of bollard pull, the standard measure of a tug's static pulling power. That is sufficient capacity to assist the largest ships operating in Brazil during docking and undocking manoeuvres.

The vessel's modern design, combined with optimised propulsion and hull hydrodynamics, reduces fuel consumption and emissions compared with similar vessels. WS Ariel is also fitted with a FiFi 1 firefighting system — the entry tier of the firefighting classifications (FiFi 1 to FiFi 3) assigned by classification societies — capable of pumping 2.4 million litres of water per hour.

The new tugs form part of Wilson Sons' strategy to modernize and expand its fleet, which will now include 83 vessels operating along the Brazilian coast. Beyond towage, the company's operations span ship agency, offshore support and port terminals in Brazil. The investment comes as Brazilian ports have handled record cargo volumes in recent years, according to national waterway transport regulator ANTAQ, keeping pressure on towage capacity and port infrastructure.

"This new cycle of tugboats underpins our commitment to safer, more efficient, and more sustainable operations. They are prepared to serve increasingly larger ships and support the efficiency of the logistics chain and the development of Brazil's port sector," said Márcio Castro, Towage Executive Director at Wilson Sons.

Adalberto Souza, CEO of Wilson Sons Shipyard, highlighted the company's investments in technology and the high manoeuvrability of the 2312-class tugs: "Higher manoeuvrability allows the tugboats to operate closer to the bow and stern of ships." In addition to supporting large vessels such as New Panamax ships — vessels sized to the maximum dimensions of the Panama Canal's expanded locks — the tugs are versatile and prepared for multiple port operations.

With WS Ariel, Wilson Sons has now built 156 vessels at its shipyard, which has more than 80 years of history.

Source: Wilson Sons