A second electric-powered ground-breaking emissions-free tugboat, built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye, has arrived in Vancouver harbour on Canada’s Pacific coast. HAISEA WEE’GIT will work alongside its sister tug HAISEA WAMIS before they are both transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat.

They will be joined by a third sister, HAISEA BRAVE later this year and will, together with two Sanmar-built dual-fuel (LNG and diesel) escort tugs, comprise the greenest tugboat fleet in the world.

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 an extremely environmentally-sensitive region of British Columbia.

HAISEA WAMIS, HAISEA WEE’GIT and HAISEA BRAVE are all based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2800 SX design by Vancouver-headquartered naval architects Robert Allan Ltd. All three 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.

The wealth of hydroelectric power available in Kitimat means the tugs will be able to recharge from dedicated shore charging facilities at their berths between jobs, effectively making their work totally emissions free.

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.

HiaSea’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 significance of the arrival of the ElectRA series to the global tugboat business was highlighted earlier this year when HAISEA WAMIS was given the prestigious ITS Tug of the Year 2023 award.

Ali Gurun, Chairman of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “The importance of the delivery of these game-changing tugs to our industry cannot be over-estimated.  At Sanmar, we are delighted to be at the forefront of this change. We are dedicated to helping to protect the world environment 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.”

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