A third ‘Tug of the Future’ built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye has been delivered to HaiSea Marine,Canada to join the most environmentally-friendly tugboat fleet in the world.

HAISEA BRAVE will work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HAISEA WAMIS and HAISEA WEE’GIT before all three – along with two Sanmar-built LNG-fuelled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.

HaiSea Marine is a joint venture majority owned by the Haisla Nation in partnership with Seaspan ULC, that will provide tug harbour and escort services in the extremely environmentally-sensitive region.

Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2800 SX design by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, HAISEA BRAVE, HAISEA WAMIS and HAISEA WEE’GIT measure 28.40m LOA, with a 13.00m beam and 5.90m draft and have 6.000 kWh of battery capacity. They can achieve 70 tonnes bollard pull and will perform all 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 zero emissions.

HaiSea’s green tug fleet is expected to reduce emissions of CO2 by approximately 10,000 tonnes per annum compared to diesel powered alternatives, with major reductions of NOX, SOX, CO, and particulate matter as well.

The electric tugs are also exceptionally quiet, both onboard and in terms of underwater radiated noise, further enhancing the protection of both marine and wildlife in the area.

HAISEA BRAVE, HAISEA WAMIS and HAISEA WEE’GIT will be working at Kitimat with the two LNG-fuelled Sanmar-built tugs HAISEA KERMODE and HAISEA WARRIOR. Based on the RAstar 4000 DF design from Robert Allan Ltd, the two Azimuth Stern Drive escort tugs will be Canada’s first LNG-powered tugs.

Ali Gurun, Chairman of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “At Sanmar, we are dedicated to helping to protect the environment of our planet through innovation, technological advance, the use of alternative fuels, and making sure any negative impact is kept to an absolute minimum in all that we do. The Kitimat project is a prime example of what can be achieved as our industry moves towards a cleaner, greener, and sustainable new era. We are proud to be at the forefront of this change.”

Sanmar will have delivered a further four ElectRA Series tugboats shortly. Two to South America operator SAAM Towage and one to Bukser og Berging in Norway. An ElectRA tug will also join Sanmar’s own fleet in Türkiye in the first quarter of next year.