Svitzer takes delivery of first fully electric tug

The Sanmar ElectRA 2500SX is based on a design by Canadian naval architect Robert Allan, and it was handed over at the Altinova shipyard in Turkey.

As well as being Svitzer’s first electric tug, it was also the 30th tug built for the company by Sanmar. 

“Today, we are not only celebrating the delivery of a new tugboat; we are also honouring the strength of our collaboration and reaffirming our shared goals for the future of sustainable maritime solutions,” said Sanmar Corporate Strategy director İpek Gürün.

“This vessel combines advanced electric propulsion, a simplified operational setup, and impressive performance – all while significantly reducing environmental impact. Ease of use and crew safety have been core considerations throughout the design and build process.”

The new tug has an overall length of 25.4m, with a 12.86m beam and 5.40m draft. It has a battery capacity of 1,808 kWh, Fi-Fi1 fire-fighting capability, and can achieve a bollard pull of 70 tons. The batteries are from Corvus Energy. 

“At Svitzer, we are working focused on reducing our carbon emission footprint and thereby supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime industry,” said Kasper Karlsen, Group Chief Operating Officer, Svitzer. “We believe that electric tugs are key to achieving our ambitions of net zero. With this new tug, we are taking real steps towards electrifying our fleet.”

Sanmar has so far built nine fully electric tugs, with six more under construction.