A fully-electric ElectRA Series tug built by Istanbul shipyard Sanmar for major operator SAAM Towage has successfully completed sea trials.
When delivered, this will become the first fully-electric tugboat to operate in Latin America and the eighth fully-electric tugboat Sanmar Shipyards has built. Six more fully-electric tugboats are under construction at the shipyard in Tuzla.
SAAM Towage, the largest provider of towage services in the Americas, already operates two emissions-free ElectRAs – Saam Volta and Chief Dan George – on the west coast of Canada. This latest tug is based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2500SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.
With an overall length of 25.4m, beam of 12.86m, draught of 5.6m, and maximum battery capacity of 3,616 kWh, it can achieve a bollard pull of at least 70t and a speed of 12.5 knots.
Rüçhan Çıvgın, Commercial Director, Sanmar Shipyards, said: “It was extremely important when we were developing the ElectRA Series with our partners Robert Allan Ltd and Corvus Energy, that the move to electricity and other alternative fuels should not come with any loss of power or performance.”
The Turkish tugboat-builder has taken a strategic decision to lead the tug and towing industry towards a sustainable future, based on low and no-emission tugs, by utilising alternative fuels and innovative technological advances to protect the environment.
SAAM Towage Sustainability and Development Director, Pablo Cáceres, said: “Electric-powered tugs represent the way to advance towards more sustainable operations and move our business into the future.”
Image: SAAM Towage electric tug on sea trials (source: Sanmar)
