Two groundbreaking emissions-free electric tugs are on their way from Sanmar Shipyards in Turkiye to join major operator SAAM Towage’s fleet in Canada.

Sister tugs built to the names as “DYNAMO” and “DYNAMO ll” set sail from the Port of Tuzla for Vancouver on the cargo ship BBC EMERALD mid this month. They will become the first electric tugs operated by SAAM Towage. They are re-named by the new Buyers as “SAAM VOLTA” and “CHIEF DAN GEORGE”.

Based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar ElectRA 2300SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, part of a series hailed as the ‘Tugs of the Future’ by the maritime media, DYNAMO and DYNAMO ll are powered by two Li-ion battery banks, making them 100% electric, zero-emission vessels.

Measuring 23.4m overall, with an 11.85m beam and 5.5 maximum draft, these compact tugs can achieve an impressive 70 tons of bollard pull, while at full capacity each reducing CO2 emissions by 2,600 metric tons a year.

In a move that further increases their environmentally-friendly green credentials, the tugs will be charged using clean energy from the British Columbia power grid.

SAAM Towage operates in South, Central and North America, including at nine ports in British Columbia.

After leaving Sanmar’s purpose-built shipyard at Tuzla, and successfully completing final seaworthiness trials, DYNAMO and DYNAMO ll were hoisted onto BBC EMERALD in a manoeuvre requiring two 400-ton cranes.

Due to restrictions on the number of ships using the Panama Canal because of low water levels in Gatun Lake, BBC EMERALD will journey to Vancouver via the Magellan Strait in a voyage that will take around 60 days.

Sanmar, Robert Allan Ltd and SAAM Towage have worked closely at every stage of the DYNAMO project.  SAAM Towage’s Engineering and Development Manager, Pablo Cáceres, said electric-powered tugs: “Represent the way to advance towards more sustainable operations and move our business into the future.”

Ruchan Civgin, Commercial Director of Sanmar Shipyards, said: “Our ElectRA Series represents a major advance in the drive to reduce the impact that our industry has on the environment. I am proud that Sanmar is leading the way to a sustainable environmentally-aware towage industry.

“As you can imagine, with the need to protect our planet increasingly at the top of both business and regulatory agendas, our Tugs of the Future are attracting a lot of interest from operators around the world.”