Sanmar builds another 7 battery-electric tugs

All seven vessels will be built to the Robert Allan ElectRA 2500 SX design, which measure 25.4m LOA with a 12.86m beam and 5.6m draft. They have a bollard pull of 70 tons.

Four of the tugs will go to an unnamed oil major, one to a repeat owner and the other two will remain with Sanmar to supply expected demand.

Once the seven tugs are built it will double the number of electric tugs around the world that have been built by Sanmar, says Sanmar Shipyards commercial director Ruchan Civgin.

“We are delighted with the success of our ElectRA tugs. As you can imagine, the interest in these radically new tugs has been huge,” he said.

The ElectRA tugs all use Corvus Energy’s marine batteries, and range from 19m to 28m in length andf 40-85 bollard pull.

Sanmar is keen to progress with alternative fuelled vessels, with its portfolio including LNG-fuelled and hybrid tugboats, as well as purpose-built dual-fuel methanol escort tugs for Netherlands-based operator Kotug.