Wilson Sons starts operating a new, more sustainable tugboat in the Port of Açu

“WS Rosalvo” is the third tugboat built at the company’s shipyard. It releases up to 14%
less greenhouse gases thus improving air quality

Wilson Sons, a leader in port and maritime logistics in Brazil, started
operating its new tugboat “WS Rosalvo” — equipped with more sustainable
technologies — in the Port of Açu, in São João da Barra (Rio de Janeiro). An
event held on Thursday, April 27th, at the port, marked the start of the operation
of the third of six new, more sustainable tugs built at the company’s shipyards in
Guarujá (São Paulo), in the Port of Santos, Latin America’s leading port facility.

The new hydrodynamic design improves hull efficiency and consumes up
to 14% less fuel, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The tugboats are the
first in Brazil to meet Tier III of the International Maritime Organization (IMO),
which attests to the reduction of at least 70% of nitrogen oxide, helping to improve
the air quality in the ports where they operate. This standard is only required in
emission controlled areas, such as in some regions of North America and Europe,
and has been voluntarily adopted by Wilson Sons.

“WS Rosalvo” is a RSD 2513 escort tug and has FIFI-1-certified firefighting equipment with 2,400 m³ flow rate per hour. It is designed by Damen
Shipyards and is 24 metres in length and 13 metres beam (width). It operates
fore and aft with the same efficiency, and can be used in both port manoeuvres
as well as offshore towage. Bollard pull is over 90 tons, making the new tug the
most powerful and sustainable in operation in Brazil, along with “WS Centaurus”
and “WS Orion”.

“WS Rosalvo” has the same characteristics as “WS Centaurus” and “WS
Orion”, and joins the company’s fleet of 81 tugboats, the largest and most modern
in Brazil. The first two new tugboats, which started operating in July and October
last year, have executed around 650 manoeuvres. With the delivery of “WS
Rosalvo”, Wilson Sons reached the mark of 151 vessels built in its shipyards. All
these tugboats were built with financial support from the Merchant Marine Fund
(FMM), and with the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) as a financial agent.

“WS Rosalvo” demonstrates the importance of innovation and
sustainability for Wilson Sons, reaffirming the company’s trail-blazing spirit in the
Brazilian industry, with modern tugboat building and operation projects, which are
increasingly needed to meet the growing port demand for more powerful tugs to
attend large ships more sustainably,” says Wilson Sons executive director of
Towage Márcio Castro.

The collaboration between Wilson Sons and Porto do Açu, further
strengthened with the arrival of “WS Rosalvo”, also reflects the operating
collaboration relationship between the companies, which began in 2016, in
addition to the foundation, in 2022, of Cubo Maritime & Port, the first innovation
hub dedicated to port and maritime solutions in Latin America. The hub is a
collaborative arrangement of Wilson Sons with Cubo Itaú, Port of Açu, Hidrovias
do Brasil and Radix, to integrate the different parts of the ecosystem and speed
up innovation in Latin America’s port and maritime industry.

“Wilson Sons is a great partner of the Port of Açu, both in operations as
well as in maritime and port innovation. We have been together since the start of
operations of the Port of Açu, at the Cubo Itaú hub, in São Paulo, and at Blue
Rio, a collaborative blue economy program in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Since
2016, the company has been operating in the port industry, providing first-class
services. To us, it is also very important to pay tribute to Rosalvo, a former crew
member here in Açu, whose name baptises the new WS tugboat,” says Vinícius
Patel, Director of Port Administration at Port of Açu.

“We strive to understand our clients’ needs to optimise their port
operations by building upon Wilson Sons’ expertise and also the technology of
our tugboats. The Port of Açu is a strategic partner for our company. With “WS
Rosalvo”, we intend to add value and increase the productivity of operations, in
a market that demands an increasing number of sustainable projects,” says Elísio
Dourado, Commercial director of Towage at Wilson Sons.

Through its business units, Wilson Sons Group participates in the
operation of more than 50% of all ships berthing in Brazilian ports, whether
coming from abroad or from some location on our coast, by cabotage shipping.
For more than one decade, all company vessels have been remotely monitored
24×7 by its Towage Operation Centre based in Santos, ensuring safer, more
efficient and more sustainable operations. Wilson Sons is a pioneer in speed
control to reduce fuel consumption. Through the Towage Operation Centre, the
company estimates a 5% drop in fuel consumption and, consequently, in GHG
emissions.

“We ensure the best operating and socio-environmental practices in our
operations to reaffirm our commitment to reducing emissions. The three new,
more sustainable tugboats are the first in the harbour towage industry in Brazil to
voluntarily meet the International Maritime Organisation’s shipping pollution
prevention guidelines, bringing unprecedented efficiency standards to the
country. We play an important role in the socio-economic development of Brazil
by executing our strategy towards an increasingly more sustainable future,” said
Wilson Sons Sustainability director Monica Jaén.

About Wilson Sons
Wilson Sons is the largest port-shipping logistics operator in Brazil, with over 185
years of experience. The company operates across Brazil and offers complete
solutions to more than 5,000 clients, including shipowners, importers and
exporters, the offshore energy industry, renewable energy projects, agribusiness
corporations, and other players in different businesses.

About the Port of Açu
Located in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Port of Açu is a leading
deep-water industrial port facility in Latin America. In operation since 2014, it is
managed by Porto do Açu Operações, a collaboration between Prumo Logística,
controlled by EIG, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges International. It consists of 20
well-established companies, including clients and partners, several of which are
world-class corporations. With established and developing mining, oil and gas
activities, Açu plans to accelerate industrialization with a focus on low-carbon
projects. It is recognized as the port of energy transition in Brazil.

Press relations
Danthi Comunicação Integrada
Gustavo Villela – [email protected] / +55 21 99124 5158
Sergio Costa – [email protected] / +55 21 99145 3644
Tahina Halac – [email protected] / +55 21 97524 9955