Schottel propulsion picked for one of world’s greenest tugboat fleets

German propulsion manufacturer Schottel has secured a contract to deliver main propulsion units for five low-emission tugs ordered by Canada’s marine transportation company Haisea Marine.

As disclosed, the company will deliver a total of ten rudder propellers and two transverse thrusters to Turkish Sanmar Shipyards.

These will be installed on two LNG-fuelled escort tugs, as well as on three battery-powered harbour tugs.

“Each of the two dual-fuel escort tugs will be equipped with two SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers type SRP 610 CP featuring an input power of 3,000 kW with a propeller diameter of 3.2 m. To further enhance manoeuvrability, each vessel will be fitted with a SCHOTTEL TransverseThruster type STT 170 (250 kW),” the company noted.

“Three battery electric tugs will be propelled by two SCHOTTEL CombiDrives type SCD 460 (2,100 kW each) with four-bladed propellers with a diameter of 2.6 m. This thruster setup enables the harbour tugs to achieve a bollard pull of approximately 70 t.”

The vessels will provide ship assistance and towing services to LNG carriers stopping at a new LNG export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.

With an ample supply of clean hydroelectric power available at Kitimat, the harbour tugs will be able to recharge from dedicated shore charging facilities at their berths between dockings, effectively resulting in near-zero emissions when running on batteries.

GHG emissions from the new tugs are expected to be significantly lower (54% and 24% respectively) than diesel-powered alternatives.

All five tugs are scheduled to enter service in 2023.