The Turkish Sanmar Shipyards will deliver the ASD electric 1,818kWh tug in H2 2025 for serving traffic in the Øresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden.
The 356-gross tonnage, 25.4-metre-long vessel, of the ElectRA 2500-SX design by Robert Allan, will have a 70-tonne bollard pull. She will also feature two backup generators for extended endurance and firefighting operations.
"In recent years, we have experienced an increasing demand for green towage services in Scandinavia, including the Øresund Strait. At the same time, we have committed to doing our part to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the industry by 2030. Getting a new battery-powered tug solves both challenges as we can continue to provide reliable and safe services to our customers while reducing the carbon footprint," Mathias Jonasson, Managing Director, Scandinavia, Svitzer, commented.
"We are honored to support Svitzer in decarbonising their fleet and building this new high-performing battery tug. It has all the quality characteristics expected from a premium tug built at Sanmar Shipyards; a big, power-efficient battery powers it. Thereby, it represents the future for many tug operations," added Tamer Geçkin, R&D and Electrical Systems Director, Sanmar Shipyards.
Earlier, in mid-September 2024, Svitzer contracted the shipbuilders from the Turkish Uzmar to construct a 6.0-megawatt, dual-fuel (methanol) tug that will be, as of H2 next year, stationed at the Port of Gothenburg.
The TRAnsverse tug design, created together with naval architects from Robert Allan, will be 34.9-metre-long, deliver a bollard pull ahead of 85 tonnes as well as utilise steering and breaking forces rated at 150t and 200t, respectively, measured at 10 knots (the vessel's max speed will be 14kn).
The escort duty tug is expected to conduct over 90% of operations using its battery-electric powertrain, taking care of up to a quarter of Svitzer's work in the Port of Gothenburg. The dual-fuel methanol engines will serve as a backup and range extension.
The company's CEO, Kasper Nilaus, commented on the occasion, "Applications for battery solutions are constantly expanding, and we see it becoming an important power option in the sustainability transition. This battery tug will bring a new dynamic to our operations. There will not be a one-size-fits-all solution for us to meet our ambitious decarbonisation targets, and equipped with this new power technology we have yet another option for how to significantly reduce emissions across the many global ports and terminals we operate in. In this way, we continue to develop our strategies for fleet-wide decarbonisation while constantly ensuring sustainable, safe and reliable marine services to Svitzer customers."
Gareth Prowse, Head of Decarbonisation at Svitzer, added, "The launch of a first-of-its-kind newbuild project with our partners at Uzmar Shipyard is a significant milestone for our decarbonisation ambitions. We are proud of the work we have done with our technology suppliers and engineering consultants to develop the tug to this point. The battery electric tug will mean we can deliver our services to customers in the Port of Gothenburg with significantly lower carbon emissions, and still to the highest operational and safety standards."
Photo: Svitzer