Tug operator Svitzer has named its first electric tugboat, Svitzer Ingrid, which is expected to complete 90% of its tasks on battery power.
The 25-metre-long hybrid vessel is equipped with a 1,808 kWh battery as well as a conventional diesel engine. It is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 600 to 900 tonnes annually.
The tugboat will be operated in the Sound and will charge using renewable electricity at its home port of Helsingborg. A full charge is expected to take about 3.5 hours, although the company said around one hour of charging will suffice for operations.
Svitzer has already ordered a second electric tugboat, which is scheduled to be delivered in 2026, and is in the market for an additional four. The Copenhagen-headquartered company is also operating four hybrid tugs in Australia.
‘We would like to make a larger share of our fleet battery-powered, but this depends on ports having the necessary charging infrastructure,’ said Kasper Friis Nilaus, CEO of Svitzer. ‘We are not there yet, although we see positive progress.’
‘Ultimately, ports will need charging infrastructure similar to that for cars,’ he continued. ‘Shipping companies cannot achieve this on their own. We must work together across our industry, with policymakers and local communities, to develop viable green solutions.’
Svitzer Ingrid has also become Denmark’s first electric tugboat. It was named by Queen Mary of Denmark at a ceremony on 9 September.
The vessel was built by Sanmar’s Altinova Shipyard in Turkey.
