Photo: Seaspan ULC
What’s even better than an environmentally-friendly tugboat? An entire fleet of innovative, low-emissions tugboats. This is a pioneering project that’s great news not just for Canada, but for the world’s maritime industry.
Not just one, but 2 types of innovative tugs are set to be built, as part of what will become one the eco-friendliest tugboat fleets in the world. The ElectRA 2800, an electric harbor tug, and the RAstar 4000-DF, a dual fuel escort tug, are currently under construction. The result of a collaboration between HaiSea Marine and LNG Canada, this 5-boat fleet will operate at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, on the British Columbia Coast.
Designed by Vancouver-based naval architect Robert Allan, both models are meant to take the green revolution one step further, without limiting their power and performance. The ElectRA 2800 is 90 feet (28 meters) long, with a 6,102 kWh battery capacity and a towing capacity (bollard pull) of 70 tons. This means that she will be able to perform ship-berthing and un-berthing operations without any harmful emissions.
There’s no need to worry about charging either because she’ll have access to dedicated charging facilities on shore, allowing the tugboats to recharge fast, between operations.
The RAstar 4000-DF escort tug, on the other hand, is bigger and more powerful. With a 131 feet (40 meters) length and almost 100 tons of bollard pull, this will be one of the most powerful escort tugs today. Since it’s a dual fuel boat, it’s equipped with a diesel after-treatment system, in order to comply to the most stringent emissions standards, but it’s designed to run entirely on liquefied natural gas (LNG) during regular escort operations.
According to the Robert Allan company, these escort tugs and harbor tugs will reduce CO2 emissions by almost 10,000 tons/year, compared to standard diesel vessels. And they are also quiet, helping reduce noise pollution, which is another important issue when it comes to the marine environment.
This environmentally-friendly fleet will consist of 3 ElectRA 2800 tugs and 2 RAstar 4000-DF tugs, which are set to begin operating in British Columbia in 2023.
Designed by Vancouver-based naval architect Robert Allan, both models are meant to take the green revolution one step further, without limiting their power and performance. The ElectRA 2800 is 90 feet (28 meters) long, with a 6,102 kWh battery capacity and a towing capacity (bollard pull) of 70 tons. This means that she will be able to perform ship-berthing and un-berthing operations without any harmful emissions.
There’s no need to worry about charging either because she’ll have access to dedicated charging facilities on shore, allowing the tugboats to recharge fast, between operations.
The RAstar 4000-DF escort tug, on the other hand, is bigger and more powerful. With a 131 feet (40 meters) length and almost 100 tons of bollard pull, this will be one of the most powerful escort tugs today. Since it’s a dual fuel boat, it’s equipped with a diesel after-treatment system, in order to comply to the most stringent emissions standards, but it’s designed to run entirely on liquefied natural gas (LNG) during regular escort operations.
According to the Robert Allan company, these escort tugs and harbor tugs will reduce CO2 emissions by almost 10,000 tons/year, compared to standard diesel vessels. And they are also quiet, helping reduce noise pollution, which is another important issue when it comes to the marine environment.
This environmentally-friendly fleet will consist of 3 ElectRA 2800 tugs and 2 RAstar 4000-DF tugs, which are set to begin operating in British Columbia in 2023.
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