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Construction begins on electric tugboat for Chinese port
A Chinese shipbuilding and ports group has cut steel on the first of two battery-powered tugs, progressing Rizhao Port’s transition toward low-carbon, intelligent operations
Shandong Port Group has started building two fully electric tugboats for Rizhao Port in China, with one of the largest capacity battery packages yet installed on harbour vessels.
Its shipbuilding subsidiary, Shandong Sea-land Equipment Group, is building these two battery-electric tugs to Robert Allan Ltd’s AmpRA 3600 design with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system with a capacity of 7,300 kWh.
Steel was cut on the first of these 36-m tugs on 9 December 2025, with delivery expected in 2027. Built to support manoeuvring, docking and unberthing of ships in Rizhao Port, their energy storage system has enough power to enable 15 hours of continuous operation at a service speed of 8 knots in full-electric mode with zero emissions.
A diesel-fuelled generator will be fitted to provide a power boost and emergency back-up if there is a low charge in the batteries.
Robert Allan said these tugs will have intelligent navigation and energy management systems, “delivering zero emissions, significantly reduced noise levels, and improved operational efficiency compared with conventional diesel-powered tugboats.”
“The steel cutting ceremony of the first fully electric tug marked an important milestone and a major step forward in the port’s transition toward low-carbon and intelligent operations,” said Robert Allan.
Rizhao Port previously took delivery of two 3,730-kW azimuth stern drive tugs with towing and firefighting capabilities in 2022 and two 4,850-kW multipurpose tugs in Q1 2025, all built to Robert Allan naval architecture.
In 2025, Rizhao Gangda Shipbuilding Heavy Industry delivered Ri Gang Tuo 32 and Ri Gang Tuo 33 to Rizhao Port, after their construction to Robert Allan’s RAmparts 3700 design with more than 80 tonnes of bollard pull and a large ship-handling winch.
These 37-m, 626-gt tugs have a moulded beam of 12 m, a depth of 6 m, twin Niigata 8L28HX diesel engines and Niigata ZP-41 azimuth thrusters, and are classed by the China Classification Society.
The 28th International Tug & Salvage Convention, Exhibition & Awards will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, in association with Caterpillar, 19-21 May 2026. Use this link for more details of this industry event and the associated social and networking opportunities.
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