Photo: Ports of Auckland
Sparky, Hydrotug, and Zeeboat are the names of some of the most innovative tugs to enter the market these past two years. Tugs are often left in the shadow while tankers, cargo ferries and other bigger vessels get all the attention, but making them environmentally friendly is just as important for reaching the zero-carbon goal in shipping.
The apparently humble, but indispensable tugs have gotten quite a bit of attention over the past two years. We now have autonomous tugs, electric tugs, and even ones that run on hydrogen. These are all pioneering vessels, since the use of these alternative solutions is still in the beginning and not yet implemented on a large scale around the world.
Damen Shipyards is one of the players that lead the way. Just a few months after delivering its first all-electric tug, the RSD-E Tug 2513 (Sparky) Damen is getting ready to introduce dual-fuel methanol/diesel-powered tugs.
It won’t do that alone, but with the help of two other significant players – Caterpillar and Pon Power. The three have recently signed an agreement for taking sustainable tugboats to the next level.
Switching to methanol is supposed to help increase the capacity of green tugboats, and also extend their range for operations that require a longer period of time. As Damen explains, electric versions are a good option for harbors and terminals where electricity is widely available and affordable, thanks to onshore infrastructure. Also, the bollard pull for these tugs ranges between 40 and 80 tons.
Compared to batteries, methanol offers a greater energy storage capacity, resulting in increased operational range. At the same time, the bollard pull is increased to 100 tons.
Through this collaboration, Pon Power will deliver methanol-ready CAT 3500E series dual-fuel pilot engines to Damen, which will be followed by complex testing. The goal is to integrate these engines on the Damen tugs, without interfering with the operation of all other onboard systems.
Such a complex project takes time. It will take two years for the pilot engines to be delivered and, if things go well, the new methanol-powered tugs could be ready for series production by 2026.
Damen Shipyards is one of the players that lead the way. Just a few months after delivering its first all-electric tug, the RSD-E Tug 2513 (Sparky) Damen is getting ready to introduce dual-fuel methanol/diesel-powered tugs.
It won’t do that alone, but with the help of two other significant players – Caterpillar and Pon Power. The three have recently signed an agreement for taking sustainable tugboats to the next level.
Switching to methanol is supposed to help increase the capacity of green tugboats, and also extend their range for operations that require a longer period of time. As Damen explains, electric versions are a good option for harbors and terminals where electricity is widely available and affordable, thanks to onshore infrastructure. Also, the bollard pull for these tugs ranges between 40 and 80 tons.
Compared to batteries, methanol offers a greater energy storage capacity, resulting in increased operational range. At the same time, the bollard pull is increased to 100 tons.
Through this collaboration, Pon Power will deliver methanol-ready CAT 3500E series dual-fuel pilot engines to Damen, which will be followed by complex testing. The goal is to integrate these engines on the Damen tugs, without interfering with the operation of all other onboard systems.
Such a complex project takes time. It will take two years for the pilot engines to be delivered and, if things go well, the new methanol-powered tugs could be ready for series production by 2026.
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