Kotug Canada has selected Türkiye’s Sanmar Shipyards to build two RAsalvor 4400-DFM dual fuel methanol escort tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) to service the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP).
These tugs will escort tankers from the harbour limits of the Port of Vancouver to the open Pacific Ocean through the commercial shipping lanes of the Salish Sea. To provide this service, Kotug Canada has partnered with Sc’ianew First Nation of Beecher Bay, which is strategically located along the shipping route.
These two innovative tugs, to be named SD Aisemaht and SD Qwii-Aan’c Sarah in honour of the Sc’ianew First Nation, are scheduled to be the world’s first large purpose-built high bollard pull methanol-fuelled tugs when they enter service in 2025 and will provide significant environmental benefits to further reduce GHG emissions and underwater radiated noise.
The relationship between Vancouver, BC based RAL and Kotug dates back many years with Kotug operating over a dozen RAL-designed harbour and offshore ASD and Advanced RotorTug (ART) vessels internationally. Similarly, for almost 30years, Sanmar Shipyards has been building tugs to RAL designs, including battery electric, LNG-fuelled and conventional tugs for the Canadian market.
Ard-Jan Kooren, President and CEO of Kotug International and Executive Director of Kotug Canada said: “We are pleased to work again with Robert Allan Ltd and look forward to our long-awaited cooperation with Sanmar, which is one of the leading tugboat builders in the world. I am proud that we continue our active green policy to provide sustainable towage services by building and operating two powerful high bollard pull methanol fuelled escort tugs.”
Ali Gurun, Chairman Sanmar Shipyards said: “I am honoured to ink the contract of these unique first methanol fuelled new-build tugboats in the world. We have been building over the years the new generation of cleaner and greener tugboats to meet the environmental targets in the maritime industry, this is another very important milestone.”
Michael Fitzpatrick, RAL President and CEO said: “The RAsalvor 4400-DFM has been customised to meet the demanding operational and environmental requirements for this project. As a company based in Vancouver where these vessels will be operating, we are keenly aware of the crucial role these escort tugs will play going forward. We are gratified that Kotug Canada has chosen to utilise these world leading tugs for such an important project in our own backyard.”
The RAsalvor 4400-DFM escort tugs will measure 44m in length and are an evolution of RAL’s escort tugs which operate in some of the harshest environments. With over 115t of bollard pull they will be Canada’s most powerful escort tugs.
Both vessels will be equipped with a mechanical cross link system between the azimuth thrusters to enable a single engine to drive both propellers. They will be equipped with main engine driven shaft generators to satisfy the vessel’s normal electrical needs. These features will allow the crews to optimise engine loading and significantly reduce fuel consumption and running hours of the main engines and gensets. Combined, these features will reduce the tugs’ underwater radiated noise, mitigating the effects of shipping on the Salish Sea’s Southern Resident Killer Whales. Additionally, Kotug is having the hulls of both tugs coated with a graphene paint to reduce biofouling and enhance hull-smoothness which reduces underwater radiated noise and makes the vessels more fuel efficient. The escort tugs are equipped with firefighting equipment meeting the requirements of ABS FFV 1 notation and will have the largest spill response capabilities of any tugs on the BC coast to mitigate the risk of marine spills to the Salish Sea and communities from laden tankers as well as other commercial marine traffic.
High quality onboard equipment will include heavy duty electric winches fit fore and aft for reduced noise and to significantly reduce the risk of a hydraulic oil spill into the environment. To facilitate training and additional response capability, extra berths will be provided for use by Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) spill response technicians. Particular attention has been paid to minimise noise and vibration aboard the vessels, with a crew comfort (habitability) class notation to be assigned by ABS along with Enviro and Sustain notations demonstrating the project’s reduced environmental impact.
