SAAM Towage reached an important milestone by closing an agreement with Teck & Neptune Terminals, which will allow the deployment of the first two electric tugs for the Port of
Vancouver in Canada.
At full capacity, the new units will reduce 2,400 tons of greenhouse gases each year. The ElectRA 2300SX tugs were designed by Vancouver-based naval architects Robert Allan and will be built by the Turkish shipyard Sanmar.
“With Teck and Neptune Terminals we share the value of driving sustainable environmental change through innovation,” said SAAM Towage Canada President and Country Manager Sander Bikkers. “This alliance is based on a common commitment to address the global challenge of climate change, by reducing our carbon footprint. In addition to this, the tugs will significantly reduce the impact of underwater noise, which is another concern in British Columbia's waterways,” he added.
“At 23 meters in length and with a bollard pull capacity of 70 tonnes, the tugs will be able to serve all of the Port of Vancouver's terminals,” added Bikkers.
“This alliance is important for both companies, since it gives financial and technical viability to our common strategic objective: to promote innovation and development for an increasingly sustainable operation. This is how we want to continue projecting SAAM Towage's leadership into the future and in each of the 13 countries where we are present: with partners such as Teck, one of the most prestigious mining companies in the world; with the renowned Sanmar shipyard in charge of the construction and with the avant-garde design of Robert Allan”, highlighted the manager of SAAM Towage, Hernán Gómez.
The tugs are powered by two banks of Li-ion batteries, making them 100% electric, zero-emission vessels powered by British Columbia's hydroelectric power grid.
SAAM Towage expects the tugs to be delivered during the second half of 2023.
