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2025 Tug of the Year: LNG Sentinel
The winner of International Tug & Salvage’s Tug of the Year 2025 Award is one of two high-bollard pull LNG-fuelled terminal tugboats supporting a giant FSRU in Hong Kong
One of the most powerful LNG dual-fuel harbour tugs ever built won the International Tug & Salvage (ITS) Tug of the Year 2025 Award, sponsored by Bureau Veritas. LNG Sentinel I received this award at a prestigious industry gala dinner in Antwerp, Belgium, in May 2025.
This 42-m tug is owned by Boluda Towage affiliate Hongkong Salvage & Towage Services (HKSTS), designed by British Columbia, Canada-based Robert Allan Ltd and built by Cheoy Lee Shipyards in China. HKSTS also owns and operates sister tugboat LNG Sentinel II in Hong Kong.
Each has an advanced LNG-diesel electric propulsion system, which enables a 25% reduced storage space while being equipped with four highly efficient generators that provide a maximum bollard pull of 115 tonnes.
LNG Sentinel I and LNG Sentinel II were designed to service and safeguard the world’s largest floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and the Hong Kong Offshore LNG terminal by providing year-round patrol and traffic surveillance and carrying out oil spill control, firefighting and rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency. They also help LNG carriers berth at the FSRU and terminal.
“These vessels showcase operational excellence and are integral to our commitment to sustainability”
For HKSTS chief executive Angelina Lei, this ITS award recognised the company’s strategy to operate vessels on low-emissions fuels.
“The award exemplifies our commitment to pioneering green technologies that are transforming Hong Kong’s maritime sector,” she said.
“These vessels showcase operational excellence and are integral to our commitment to sustainability.”
LNG Sentinel I and LNG Sentinel II were built to RAstar 4200-DF design with a top speed of 14 knots, a moulded beam of 16 m, a moulded hull depth of around 7 m and a maximum navigational draft of 7 m.
These vessels will maintain a safety zone around the terminal, assist LNG carriers berthing at the jetty and transport personnel and equipment between Hong Kong harbour, the FSRU and the terminal’s jetty.
Robert Allan’s naval architects worked with HKST and Cheoy Lee to customise these 42-m vessels for their work roles and to minimise emissions with a unique electrical propulsion system featuring two Z-drive thrusters capable of receiving power from both diesel and dual-fuel generator sets.
Hong Kong’s director of marine, Wong Sai-fat, congratulated HKSTS on receiving the award which he said was “an important milestone in maritime innovation, affirming the local marine industry’s commitment to switching to green marine fuels to reduce carbon emissions.”
He said it is part of the Hong Kong government’s action plan to increase green marine fuel bunkering.
“The government will continue to collaborate with industry partners to develop Hong Kong into the region’s preferred high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering centre, enhance its status as a green-friendly port and to establish an organic and symbiotic green fuel trading centre,” said Mr Wong.
LNG Sentinel I and LNG Sentinel II are classed by Bureau Veritas with notations for dual fuel, unrestricted navigation, in-water surveys, fire-fighting 1 with water spray, oil recovery, and for automation and unmanned engineroom spaces.
Wärtsilä supplied two 9L20 diesel-electric propulsion gensets, each generating 1,880 ekW, and two 8L20DF dual-fuel electric propulsion gensets, of 1,500 ekW each.These provide power to two 3,000-kW ABB electric motors, which drive Wärtsilä WST-32 fixed-pitch Z-drives, with a 3.3-m diameter propeller in a nozzle.
Caterpillar supplied a C4.4 diesel harbour and emergency genset, developing 82 ekW of power and Schottel delivered a STT 60 electrically driven fixed-pitch bow thruster of 125 kW capacity for improved manoeuvrability. Wärtsilä supplied the LNGPac double-wall, vacuum-insulated IMO Type C LNG storage tank with an integral tank connection space and double airlock.
These 1,275-gt vessels are equipped for standby duties including emergency towing of the FSRU, firefighting, spill response and rescue.
“The government will continue to collaborate with industry partners to develop Hong Kong into the region’s preferred high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering centre”
They each have a FiFi1 off-ship fire-fighting system from FFS incorporating two pumps and two monitors, each capable of 1,200 m3/hr, a water spray unit, 200 m of offshore spill recovery boom on a powered boom reel, plus one Palfinger-delivered RSQ 450 rescue boat under a pivoting davit.
Able to accommodate 11 crew and two supernumeraries, there is also space for 20 people rescued from emergency situations, and a Dacon rescue scoop (RSA 500) for recovering overboard personnel using a Palfinger PK65002(M) folding knuckle boom deck crane with an outreach of 16 m and safe lifting capacity of almost 3 tonnes.
MacGregor supplied a hydraulic deck-machinery package that features a double-drum hawser winch with 300 m of 76-mm diameter synthetic towline per drum, and a single-drum towing winch and spooling gear, with 1,000 m of 64-mm steel wire.
Each vessel has a towing pin unit aft with 110 tonnes safe working load, two tugger winches, each with 100 m of 22-mm wire and horizontal warping head, and two vertical anchor windlasses with 400-mm throat warping heads, all from MacGregor.
LNG Sentinel I and LNG Sentinel II can store 265 m3 of diesel oil and 110 m3 of LNG to supply main propulsion gensets, plus 66 m3 of potable water, 46 m3 of recovered oil, 18 m3 of foam and 12 m3 of dispersant.
These were the eighth and ninth LNG dual-fuel tugs built and completed to five different Robert Allan designs, with three classification societies for service on three continents – Asia, Europe and North America. One of these, HaiSea Kermode, was named ITS Tug of the Year 2024 at a gala ceremony in May 2024.
It was built as one of two dual-fuel escort tugs by Sanmar Shipyards for HaiSea Marine’s services from the Kitimat LNG export terminal in British Columbia, Canada.
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