SAAM Towage partners with Neptune Terminals to deploy its first two 100% electric tugboats

An agreement signed by SAAM Towage with another Green Marine participant, Neptune Terminals, and Teck Resources Limited, a leading Canadian mining company, will lead to deploying Canada’s first two open-market electric tugs at the Port of Vancouver next year.

The new partnership is providing the financial and technical viability for the shared objective of addressing climate change by driving innovation and development for increasingly sustainable operations with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the Vancouver-based naval architects and marine engineers firm, the ElectRA 2300SX tugs will be built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey.

Powered by two separate battery Li-ion energy storage systems, the 100% electric tugs will have their batteries charged using British Columbia’s hydroelectric power grid. The two 23-metre (almost 75½-foot) tugs can reduce greenhouse gases by 2,400 tons annually when used at full capacity.

The new tugs will also significantly reduce underwater noise when they are delivered to the Port of Vancouver during the second half of 2023.