Sanmar Shipyards has delivered ‘Haisea Wamis’, the first of three emissions-free battery electric tugs, to HaiSea Marine where it will operate at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.
Based on the Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) ElectRA 2800SX design, Haisea Wamis is the first electric tug to be exported from Türkiye; the first electric tug in Canada and the first electric tug based on a design by RAL to be completed and delivered. It will shortly be joined by the ElectRA series tugs Haisea Wee’git and Haisea Brave as part of a five tug deal with HaiSea Marine, a partnership between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan ULC, which also includes the LNG-fuelled tugs Haisea Kermode and Haisea Warrior, Canada’s first LNG tugboats.
Sanmar will deliver seven of its ElectRA ‘Tugs of the Future’ in 2023. Two will be delivered to South and Central America operator SAAM Towage, one to Bukser og Berging in Norway and one for Sanmar’s own fleet in Türkiye.
Measuring 28.4m in length, with a moulded beam of 13m and least moulded depth of 5.6m, the ElectRA 2800SX electric harbour tugs have a 6.000 kWh battery storage system, and achieve 70t bollard pull. Haisea Wamis, Haisea Wee’git and Haisea Brave will perform all their ship berthing and unberthing missions on battery power alone.
With ample clean hydroelectric power available in Kitimat, the harbour tugs will be able to recharge from dedicated shore charging facilities at their berths between jobs, effectively resulting in them achieving the sustainability goal of zero emissions. Kitimat BC is in an environmentally sensitive region and LNG Canada has taken great care to protect marine and wildlife habitats when planning, constructing and operating its new export facility.
Ali Gurun, Chairman Sanmar Shipyards, said: “The delivery of Haisea Wamis marks a major stride forward along the road to a sustainable, environmentally-friendly tug and towing industry and we are proud to be leading from the front, working closely with our partners to put innovative ideas into action through technological advance. The significance of this project is huge, not just for us, but for the industry that we work in as a whole.”
