Damen ramps up electric tug shipbuilding hub in Vietnam

Electric vessels could represent the Vietnamese yard’s future, given the current level of demand. Sparky, which was named ITS Tug of the Year in 2022, was built for Ports of Auckland in New Zealand and delivered mid-2022. Technically a reverse stern drive, 23-m-long with a 13-m beam, Sparky is Damen’s first fully electric, ship-handling tug of 70 tonnes bollard pull and the first all-electric tug in its class. It takes just two hours to recharge between assignments while two Caterpillar C32 engines provide back-up through a generator if the battery charge is low.

The result of a six-year collaboration between Damen and Ports of Auckland, it was a demanding assignment. Port authorities wanted a tug of no more than 23 m-long so that two crew can operate it, a tall order given the space occupied by the eight battery packs installed in two insulated, temperature-controlled rooms on either side of the vessel.

Damen Song Cam learned a lot from Sparky in the pursuit of zero-emissions workboats. The propulsion system, which is expected to provide about 30,000 cycles, also roughly the lifetime of the tug, can be boosted or reduced according to need. It will now provide the power in other Damen tugs, such as the azimuth stern drive 2813 currently under construction at Song Cam, and another Sparky-type design due for delivery H2 2023.

The association with Damen gives a new lease of life to the original yard. Song Cam Shipbuilding dates back to 1959 when it was established in the Haiphong port area. Now one of Damen’s most productive shipbuilding yards, the combined operation has turned out an impressive 260 vessels since forming an alliance with the Dutch-headquartered group in 2002. In that first year, the yard built five search-and-rescue vessels for the Vietnamese Coast Guard. Today’s joint-venture arrangement between Damen Shipyards, the 70% owner, and 30% shareholder the Vietnamese Shipbuilding Industry Corp, started in 2014. One of the first vessels to emerge from the partnership was Damen’s ASD 3212.

With a full array of equipment in place, production was quickly ramped up. By 2018, Damen Song Cam was already turning out 30 vessels a year. Currently, the 1,600-strong workforce launches 40 ships a year. The production system is a tried and true one – about 1,000 employees focus on the construction of the hulls while the other 600 concentrate on the extensive outfitting required by versatile work vessels that will perform tasks such as offshore towing, salvage and ship handling. The yard is spread over a 43-hectare plot of land alongside the Cam river, just outside the city of Haiphong.

Riviera Maritime Media’s TUGTECHNOLOGY returns 22-23 May 2023 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Use this link for further information and to register your interest