Steel cut for KOTUG’s dual-fuel methanol escort tugs

KOTUG Canada, a partnership between KOTUG International and Canada’s Horizon Maritime, has held a steel cutting ceremony for two dual-fuel methanol escort tugs that will service the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMEP).

The ceremony took place on February 13 at Sanmar Shipyard in Türkiye, marking the beginning of the construction phase. Designed by ship designer Robert Allan Ltd, the tugs are scheduled for delivery by mid-2025.

The tugs will escort tankers from the harbor limits of the Port of Vancouver to the open Pacific Ocean through the commercial shipping lanes of the Salish Sea. To provide this service, KOTUG Canada partnered with the Sc’ianew First Nation from Beecher Bay, strategically located along the shipping route.

The vessels will be named SD AISEMAHT and SD QWII-AAN’C SARAH in honor of important members of Sc’ianew First Nation. According to KOTUG, these will be the world’s first large purpose-built high bollard pull methanol-fueled tugs when they enter service in 2025.

Innovations for the newbuild tugs will include a hybrid propulsion configuration and will be equipped with a mechanical cross-link system (the latest Schottel Sydrive azimuth thrusters) to enable a single engine to drive two thrusters, significantly reducing fuel consumption.

Additionally, the hulls of the two tugs will have a graphene paint applied (from Graphite Innovation Technologies, GIT) to reduce biofouling and enhance the hull-smoothness of the vessels which reduces underwater radiant noise and makes the vessels more fuel efficient.