Two Electric Tugboats Enter Service on the Port of Vancouver
Two electrical tugboats have entered service within the Port of Vancouver, marking an necessary milestone for Canada’s largest port. The two one hundred pc electrical tugboats had been launched in a particular occasion on the port with indigenous communities’ representatives, authorities officers and business stakeholders.
“In all the world, there are only a handful of electric tugboats in operation. We’ll now see them hard at work in Vancouver’s magnificent harbor. The reduction in pollution from these electric tugboats is the equivalent of taking 600 vehicles off the road,” stated David Eby, Premier of British Columbia.
SAAM’s order for the 2 tugboats got here by means of a contract with mining firm Teck Resources, which agreed to make use of the vessels for towage on the Neptune coal/potash terminal at Port of Vancouver. The terminal is collectively owned by Teck and potash producer Canpotex (and Glencore, topic to regulatory approval someday later this 12 months). The German bulk provider big Oldendorff was additionally a companion in SAAM’s leap in direction of use of the electrical tugboats.
“The christening and commissioning of our first electric tugs are proof of our commitment to move towards increasingly sustainable operations, seeking the best solutions tailored to each customer and conditions at each port,” stated SAAM’s CEO, Macario Valdes.
The tug specialists at Sanmar Shipyards constructed the vessels in Turkey, utilizing a Canadian design from their longtime companions at Robert Allan Ltd. They have an general size of 23 meters and might ship a bollard pull of 70 tons.