Sanmar lands order for zero-emission electric tug from Norwegian operator

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards has secured an order to provide Norway-headquartered marine services company Buksér og Berging with its first electric tugboat.

Based on the SANMAR ElectRA 2200SX design from Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, the new-build tug, which is due to be delivered in November 2023, will join the Buksér og Berging tugs in the Port of Oslo.

The ElectRA 2200SX will be the eighth tug Sanmar has delivered to Buksér og Berging from its shipyards in Türkiye. 

However, this latest contract signing is another major step forward in the company’s mission to lead the tug and towing industry to a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly, low and no-emissions future., the company emphasized.

The new electric tug will have 22.4 meters in length, with a molded beam of 10.84 meters and molded depth of 4.4 meters.

Powered by 1.718 kWh of battery, 2 x 1.400 kW electrical motors and Schottel SRP 340 LE FP thrusters. It will achieve a bollard pull ahead of 45 tons and a speed of 11.8 knots, according to Sanmar.

Moreover, Caterpillar C32 IMO Tier lll switchable marine generator set will provide 940 eKW at 1.800 rev/min.

“We have seen a huge amount of interest in the ElectRA range as tug and towing operators around the world agree that action must be taken to protect the environment and combat climate change. What the advance technology of the ElectRA series of tugs does is to provide them with the means to make this change happen,” Ruchan Civgin, Commercial Director of SANMAR Shipyards, said

The tug will be built to ABS classifications.

Recent deliveries of the Turkish firm also include the IMO Tier lll emissions-compliant sister escort tugs Bamse and Bob and in 2014 and 2015 Borgoy and Bokn, the world’s first two purely LNG-fuelled tugboats.

Last year, Sanmar inked an agreement with Norway’s energy storage company Corvus Energy to develop a new range of zero-emission and hybrid tugs based on Robert Allan design. Corvus Energy is responsible for battery and fuel cell technology, dimensioning and advice on battery room design, power system and fuel interfaces.