Powerful green tug fleet for LNG Canada takes shape at Sanmar

When LNG carriers begin calling at the LNG Canada LNG export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada mid-decade, they will be greeted by some of the world’s most powerful and greenest escort tugs.

These five escort and berthing tugs were named recently and are nearing completion at two Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey. To reduce their carbon footprint, two of the low-emissions tugs will burn LNG as fuel while the other three will operate on battery-electric power. All the vessels are being built to designs from Canada’s Robert Allan Ltd.

Being built for HaiSea Marine, a joint venture between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan ULC, HaiSea Warrior is the first of two 100-tonne bollard pull, LNG dual-fuel ASD tugs under construction at Sanmar Altinova Shipyard in Yalova, Turkey. In a ceremony at the shipyard 7 March, the tug was named by Kevin Stewart, Haisla Nation Councilor and Lisa Grant, interim deputy chief administrative officer, development for the Haisla Nation, which represents two bands of indigenous peoples that have traditionally lived in the territories in and around Kitimat and the Douglas Channel for generations.

Those in attendance at the event paused to pay tribute to the spirit and resilience of the Turkish people in the wake of the suffering caused on 6 February by the deadly earthquakes, which have taken the lives of thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. “That same Turkish spirit and devotion to others is a large reason why we chose to build here,” says HaiSea Marine senior project manager Jordan Pechie, speaking at the event.

Prior to the naming ceremony, Sanmar chairman of the board Ali Gurun recalled some of the Turkish vessel owner’s and shipbuilder’s own history, noting milestones, its principles and long-time partnership with Robert Allan Ltd.

One of the world’s most prolific tug builders, Sanmar has delivered 273 tugs around the globe, many to Robert Allan designs. Sanmar delivered its 200th Robert Allan-designed tug in 2020.

“Innovation is in our blood,” says Mr Gurun, highlighting that building LNG-fuelled tugs is nothing new to Sanmar. In 2015, it built the world’s first LNG-fuelled escort tugs Borgøy and Bokn for Norwegian tug owner Buksér og Berging. 

HaiSea Warrior and its sister vessel HaiSea Kermode are based on a RAstar 4000 DF design. These powerful 40-m tugs will provide ship assist and escort towing services for LNG carriers that will lift cargoes from the new liquefaction terminal under construction on Canada’s Pacific coast. A single LNG-fuelled tug will accompany each LNG carrier as it transits to and from the LNG terminal, requiring the vessels to perform the longest one-way escort duty in the world –159 km. This required each tug to be designed with a large 57-m3 fuel tank, which will allow it to make the roundtrip journey with fuel to spare.

With 100 tonnes of bollard pull, the HaiSea Marine vessels will be the most powerful escort tugs on the west coast of Canada – with the ability to generate indirect forces in escort of approximately 200 tonnes.

Each of the escort tugs is equipped with two 3,000-kW Schottel SRP 610 CP RudderPropellers, and one 250-kW Schottel STT 170 transverse thruster.

Fitted with two Wärtsilä 34DF main engines and Wärtsilä LNGPac fuel storage, supply and control systems, the low-emissions tugs will operate on LNG, the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Each four-stroke engine is fitted with a NOx selective catalytic reduction system to restrict nitrogen oxide emissions.

Using LNG as a fuel, vessel owners can reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially as compared with traditional marine fuels. Combusting LNG fuel emits no sulphur oxides and virtually no particulate matter, emits 90% less nitrogen oxides and can reduce CO2 emissions by 20% as compared with conventional oil-based fuels.

The ambition is to deliver HaiSea Warrior on its own bottom in July 2023. Sailing time from Turkey to the west coast of Canada is expected to take at least 40 days.