A fleet of all-electric tugboats are under construction in Turkey for zero-emissions towage and ship handling close to the capital
The three all-electric tugs are being built at Tuzla Shipyard for Gisas Shipbuilding to come into service in 2022.
These tugs are based on Navtek Naval Technologies’ Zeetug designs, as is 2020-delivered Gisas Power, which is now assisting ships in Tuzla Bay, near Istanbul.
Navtek general manager Ferhat Acuner presented the Zeetug designs and strategy for developing them during Riviera Maritime Media’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference in Bergen, Norway.
“Three more Zeetugs are under construction, in line with the experience gained through our prototype Gisas Power,” said Mr Acuner.
Gisas Power was built to a Zeetug30 design, with 32 tonnes of bollard pull, 1,425 kWh of onboard battery capacity, and can be charged in less than an hour through a quayside charging station.
“The quick charge station has been custom developed and manufactured for Tuzla Bay Infrastructure and Gisaş Pier,” said Mr Acuner.
Two of the three newbuildings underway at Tuzla Shipyard will be based on Zeetug30 design, with similar performance to Gisas Power. A third will be built to a Zeetug45 design with 45 tonnes of bollard pull.
“We have made improvements on the exterior design, lowering the draught, and increasing the stability, electrical efficiency, endurance and manoeuvrability of the new series,” said Mr Acuner.
“In addition, we continue to study the charging of the batteries while free-spinning the propeller.”
Navtek has developed more Zeetug designs with bollard pulls up to 80 tonnes, with larger energy storage systems on board.
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