Damen Shipyards is building a 25-m harbour tug for Ports of Auckland, New Zealand at the Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam
A keel laying ceremony was held on 7 July, noting the passing of a milestone in what is seen as an important project in the evolution of green harbour services.
This will be a reverse stern drive (RSD) tug with a full-electric propulsion package Damen says will deliver 70 tonnes of bollard pull.
It will be built to a RSD-E Tug 2513 design and will be named Sparky after the name was selected in a public vote in New Zealand.
This vessel will have total power of 3,800 kW, a top speed of 12 knots, an overall length of 24.7 m and beam of 13.1 m. Its hull will have twin fins at the bow and two thrusters at the stern.
The keel laying ceremony was attended by New Zealand’s Vietnam ambassador Wendy Matthews and the Netherland’s Vietnam ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman. Representatives of the Ports of Auckland attended the ceremony remotely via digital communication.
Sparky is expected to make an important contribution towards meeting Ports of Auckland’s goal of being a zero-emissions operation by 2040. Around 80% of electricity in New Zealand is generated using renewable energy.
Damen Song Cam Shipyard general director Joris van Tienen said one of the biggest challenges with this newbuilding project was keeping it on schedule during restrictions in Vietnam due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Damen has built other electric-powered vessels, including a cutter suction dredger, ferries for Denmark and hybrid-electric ferries for Canada.
Details of the latest electric-powered vessel projects will be examined during Riviera’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric and Fuel Cells Webinar Week, to be held from 27 July. Use this link for more details
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.