Chinese port joins wave of electric tug orders
As tug operators and owners increasingly opt for electric tugs, the Chinese port of Tianjin – one of the 10 biggest ports in China – has ordered a fully electric tug designed by Robert Allan.
The AmpRA 3600 will have no gensets onboard at all, making it completely electric and diesel-free. It will also be the first Robert Allan battery-electric vessel to operate in China.
Most of the main equipment will be supplied by Chinese manufacturers, such as 7MWh of batteries by the battery-making giant CATL. It will be built in the Chinese shipyard of Jiangsu Zhenjiang.
“This builds on a successful conventional propulsion design for the same Owner and shipyard, with two vessels of similar hull form in service, but with a much greener propulsion system,” said the Canadian naval architect.
The Port of Tianjin is one of China’s most important, on the eastern coast about 170km southeast of the capital, Beijing. It covers a land area of more than 100km2 and water of 340km2, with more than 170 berths. In terms of cargo volume it is one of the top 10 busiest in the world and is a key point on China’s ‘Belt and Road’ trade route.
It is difficult to know how many fully electric tugs are operating in Europe, but the number can probably be counted on one hand since the first one was only launched in May, at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
The world’s first fully electric tug, Sparky, has been covered in Maritime Journal. It is operating in New Zealand.
AmpRA 3600 is 36.5 metres long with a beam of 11 metres and 62 tonnes of bollard pull. It has accommodation for seven persons.
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