SMART-TUG is a tug dispatch optimizer — it schedules the right tug to the right job for tug owners and port operators.
Smart-Tug turns tug scheduling from reactive guesswork into proactive orchestration.
Tugs are up to 50% of a port's marine fuel consumption. Berthing delays cost $25,000+ a day. And IMO 2030 is closing in. Smart-Tug rebuilds the 6-hour schedule whenever inputs change — vessel ETAs, pilot availability, weather, tug breakdowns — and keeps the port moving.
Why this is universal
What this means for your port
What's broken today
Four problems compound at every port without intelligent scheduling — each one quietly draining margin while emissions and delay costs climb.
How Smart-Tug works
The scheduling window updates in real time as vessel ETAs shift, pilots get reassigned and tugs come on or off station. Operators rerun the plan on demand and the schedule rebuilds in seconds.
The 6-hour rolling window
5 tugs
TUG-01
ASD 65t
TUG-02
ASD 75t
TUG-03
RT 60t
TUG-04
ASD 70t
TUG-05
ASD 65t
Illustrative · ASD = Azimuth Stern Drive · RT = Rotor Tug
Plan refresh time
Seconds
Operator hits rerun · revised schedule returned · before the dispatcher hangs up the call.
Platform features
Smart-Outcome
With ASTRA · Optional integration
Smart-Tug pairs with ASTRA — Solverminds' AI agent that reads vessel-booking emails and WhatsApp messages and converts them straight into scheduling jobs.
Pick your next step
Smart-Tug turns tug scheduling from reactive guesswork into proactive orchestration.
Tugs are up to 50% of a port's marine fuel consumption. Berthing delays cost $25,000+ a day. And IMO 2030 is closing in. Smart-Tug rebuilds the 6-hour schedule whenever inputs change — vessel ETAs, pilot availability, weather, tug breakdowns — and keeps the port moving.
50%
Of port marine fuel
$25K+
Daily delay cost
6 hrs
Rolling schedule
IMO 2030
ESG-ready
Why this is universal
50%
Of a port's marine fuel
Tugs account for up to half of a port's marine fuel consumption — per a Port of Rotterdam study. Scheduling efficiency translates directly into emissions and cost.
$25K+
Daily berthing delay cost
Industry average — larger and busier ports carry significantly greater exposure when tug scheduling falls behind vessel arrivals.
IMO 2030
Carbon intensity deadline
Global emissions targets are tightening. Tug operations are now squarely in scope for ESG reporting and regulatory compliance.
What this means for your port
Smarter pairings and fewer repositioning runs — the optimization model puts fuel front and centre, then routes accordingly.
Vessels meet their tugs on time; berth-window slip stops compounding into next-shift problems.
Idle time shrinks. Tug capacity aligns with the job mix instead of standing by on guesswork.
IMO 2030 baked into the planner. Emissions tracked per job and per tug. Carbon-tax forecasts modelled before they hit.
What's broken today
Four problems compound at every port without intelligent scheduling — each one quietly draining margin while emissions and delay costs climb.
Manual rosters built on experience and reactive planning. Pilot availability, vessel class, draft and engine condition all juggled by hand — and assumptions drift from real-time conditions.
Tugs ping-pong between berths because no system optimizes where they should idle, refuel and stage for the next job. Fuel burn compounds across every wasted manoeuvre.
Vessels arrive early. Vessels arrive late. Tugs break down. Pilots get reassigned. Static schedules can't react in minutes — rebuilds happen on whiteboards, hours after the disruption.
Idle tug time is frequent, yet utilization stays stubbornly suboptimal. Compliance with port safety rules — tugs-required by vessel class, draft and engine condition — gets inconsistent.
How Smart-Tug works
Predictive, not reactive.
AI-powered scheduling engine assigns tugs by job type, berth timing, vessel class and real-time availability. The plan is generated, not improvised.
The right tug, every time.
Right tug at the right vessel at the right time. Cost and delay minimized across every assignment in the 6-hour planning window.
Live re-runs, not next-day fixes.
Live optimization, maximized utilization, smarter repositioning. When inputs change — vessel ETAs, breakdowns, weather — the schedule rebuilds on demand.
Built for the dispatcher.
Interactive UI for on-demand reruns and job adjustments. Operator-controlled delay buffers, partial job execution, smart rerun logic for updated inputs.
The 6-hour rolling window
The scheduling window updates in real time as vessel ETAs shift, pilots get reassigned and tugs come on or off station. Operators rerun the plan on demand and the schedule rebuilds in seconds.
Plan refresh time
Seconds
Operator hits rerun · revised schedule returned · before the dispatcher hangs up the call.
TUG-01
ASD 65t
TUG-02
ASD 75t
TUG-03
RT 60t
TUG-04
ASD 70t
TUG-05
ASD 65t
Platform features
Planning horizon updates live as vessel arrivals, departures and shifts move.
Configurable thresholds for how much slip the schedule absorbs before re-optimizing.
Tugs released mid-job re-enter the dispatch pool without disrupting the plan.
When inputs change, the engine re-optimizes only what needs to move.
Larger vessels, tight windows and premium contracts surface first in the queue.
Tugs-required by vessel class, draft and engine condition enforced automatically.
Smart-Outcome
Operational data turned into actionable insights that drive greener decisions across the tug fleet.
Operational data leveraged to cut costs, reduce idle time and grow margin per job.
Recommends the most fuel-efficient tug-job pairings and repositioning moves before they're committed.
Simulate operational strategies under different carbon-tax regimes and sustainability targets.
Planners get real-time, AI-backed scheduling for optimal efficiency and operational impact.
With ASTRA · Optional integration
Smart-Tug pairs with ASTRA — Solverminds' AI agent that reads vessel-booking emails and WhatsApp messages and converts them straight into scheduling jobs. Optional. Seamless. Operator-ready.
ASTRA instantly extracts job requests and vessel booking details from email threads and chat messages.
ASTRA parses instructions like "vessel arriving at 16:45, 2 tugs needed" without manual entry.
Standardizes input into Smart-Tug's scheduling engine — reducing manual errors and speeding up task creation.
ASTRA learns from past formats and improves accuracy with every interaction.
What Smart-Tug puts on the table
50%
Of port marine fuel
$25K+
Avoided daily delay cost
6 hrs
Rolling planning window
IMO 2030
ESG-ready
Pick your next step
Three ways to start — pick the one that fits where you are. Or drop us a line directly.
Just looking
Concise overview of Smart-Tug — what it does, what it needs, where it fits. No call, no commitment.
Request brief →Evaluating
Custom 30-min session with your tug fleet, berth schedule and vessel arrivals. Watch the 6-hour plan rebuild live.
Schedule session →Ready to deploy
45 minutes with a Smart-Tug specialist. Integration plan, timeline, and ROI projection.
Book a call →