New Svitzer Tug is First to Integrate Battery with Methanol Fueled Engines
A new tug construction project underway at Turkey’s Uzmar shipyard will integrate a marine battery power system with a methanol-fueled engine to minimize emissions from the operations. The vessel is being built for Svitzer and will be launched later this year for operations in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The tug is based on Svitzer’s TRAnsverse tug design and will be used for escort duty. With a gross tonnage of approximately 806 tonnes, the tug will be capable of achieving speeds of up to 14 knots. Delivery is planned in the second half of 2025.
The order for the 6MWh battery went to AYK Energy and is its first contract with Uzmar. The battery will be built at the company’s new facility in Zhuhai, China, and delivered to Uzmar for installation in the tug. AYK attests to having the highest energy density and volumetric density in the industry today. Combined with its Battery Management System) and packaging solution, it reports it has tailored unique solutions for the maritime sector. It claims to offer the safest, lightest, most affordable, easiest to operate, and commission battery with the ability to operate in smaller spaces.
"Battery solutions are constantly expanding, and we are proud to be at the forefront when it comes to providing those solutions to the maritime sector,” said AYK Energy founder Chris Kruger, He said the contract “shows our continuing progress in winning the bigger battery projects.”
The battery power system will be supported for the first time by dual-fuel methanol engines. The engines will be used for backup power and to extend the range of the tug. However, according to the companies, they expect the tug to perform more than 90 percent of its escort duty operations using its battery-electric powertrain. They said the vessel’s design will also allow the battery-powered tug to operate more efficiently than internal combustion engine-powered tugs of a traditional design.
Uzmar says that the combination of battery power and methanol engines will provide a safe, efficient, and reliable solution.
“The launch of a first-of-its-kind newbuild project with our partners at Uzmar Shipyard is a significant milestone for our decarbonization ambitions,” said Gareth Prowse, Head of Decarbonization at Svitzer. The battery electric tug will mean we can deliver our services to customers in the Port of Gothenburg with significantly lower carbon emissions, and still to the highest operational and safety standards.”
Companies such as Svitzer see battery power as becoming an important option in the sustainability transition. Marine batteries are demonstrating that they can play a fundamental role in decarbonizing the industry, as an increasing number of tugs are being built and deployed with battery-electric powertrains.