The agreement is expected to create 30 Australian jobs and will span a period of at least 20 years, beginning in 2016.
Four 33m-long, 80 tonne bollard-pull tugs will assist vessels during the operational phase of the project while a 17.6m self-righting pilot boat will also assist.
The tugboats will be fitted with a range of features with environmental and safety goals in mind including non-hydraulic deck equipment to ensure no oil or liquid spillage, double-walled fuel tanks to prevent leakage, solar panels and water recycling, LNG alarms, remote closing fire flaps and capability for pilot transfer through a specially designed pilot-boarding platform.
Svitzer has performed more than 36,000 tug jobs at 21 LNG terminals over the past 15 years and is also contracted at Chevron's Gorgon project.
The company will soon be selecting a shipyard to build the tugs.
