2025: a pivotal year for innovative green fuels, battery-powered tugboats 

What a year we have had in the towage, tug and salvage sector. 2025 has been an amazing year for tug construction, with technically advanced vessels delivered.

We are at a crucial point in the maritime industry’s transition to alternatives fuels, with tugboats entering service with battery-electric propulsion and shipyards almost completing the first vessels with methanol-ready engines and fuel storage.

Confidence is growing that markets and ports are preparing for charging battery-powered tugs in ports, ready to support zero-emissions ship manoeuvring, towage and docking at quaysides in terminals.

And some harbours are expected to be ready to supply methanol fuel as an alternative to diesel, which will be reflected in 2026 deliveries.

LNG is already being provided as a fuel to tugboat fleets, two ports are bunkering compressed hydrogen, and more are installing charging stations in markets that appreciate cleaner air.

As the industry prepares for the turn of the year, at the half-way point of the decade, owners and shipbuilders can look back on successful deliveries including the most powerful battery-electric tugboats to date, LNG dual-fuel escort tugs, another hydrogen-fuelled harbour tugboat, plus many more tugboats complying with IMO Tier III emissions requirements.

While reducing carbon is a key focus for the maritime industry, there is strengthening pressure on port authorities to cut pollution.

Whether this is considered Scope 1, 2 or 3, or another client’s responsibility, it is in everyone’s interest to minimise NOx, particulate and CO2 emissions.

IMO Tier III-compliant tugs are finding their way into markets outside of the main areas of northern Europe and around the North America coasts, such as in southern Europe, Latin America, Australia and Singapore.  

Many of these tugs have selective catalytic reduction units and urea tanks to minimise NOx emissions, and demonstrating there are solutions to reducing harbour pollutants without using new fuels.