Ocean Group Switching to HVO Fuel for Port Towing Operations
Ocean Group announced it is adopting HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) renewable diesel fuel for all of its port towing operations.Made from renewable sources, including vegetable oils, residues of plant or animal origin, and used oils such as those derived from frying, HVO fuel reduces CO2 emissions by around 80% compared with traditional fossil fuels.Since 2023, Group Ocean has been testing the efficiency of HVO at its Delta Port and Fraser River sites. After months of data analysis and obtaining the necessary authorizations from Transport Canada…
Third Sanmar ElectRA Tug Arrives in Vancouver
A third electric-powered tug built by Sanmar Shipyards in Turkiye has arrived in Vancouver, Canada, to join HaiSea Marine’s fleet.HaiSea Brave will work in Vancouver alongside its sisters HaiSea Wamis and HaiSea Wee'git before all three – along with two Sanmar-built liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tugs – are transferred to LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.Based on the ElectRA 2800 SX design by Canadian naval architects Robert Allan Ltd, HaiSea Brave…
SAAM Towage’s First Electric Tugs Arrive in Canada
The first electric tugs of the SAAM Towage's fleet, built by SANMAR Shipyards, have reached the Port of Vancouver in Canada. The vessels are named Saam Volta and Chief Dan George."We continue to make progress on this milestone for SAAM Towage, which is part of our strategy to drive innovation and development for increasingly sustainable operations. These tugs, which are the result our alliance with Teck and Neptune Terminals, show our commitment to seek alternatives in our industry to reduce the carbon footprint and support the fight against global climate change…
Two Electric Tugs Built for SAAM Towage in Canada
The first electric tugs for SAAM Towage's fleet are ready to sail from the Port of Tuzla to Vancouver, Canada, where they will join the fleet operating in that country.SAAM Towage's Engineering and Development Manager, Pablo Cáceres, said, "We are one step closer to having our electric tugs operating, which for us represents the way to advance towards more sustainable operations and move our business into the future."The Sanmar-built vessels have successfully completed their final seaworthiness trials and will soon be loaded onto the cargo ship BBC Emerald…
Sanmar Shipyards Delivers First ABS-classed Battery Electric Tug to HaiSea Marine
Sanmar Shipyards delivered its first battery electric tug to ABS class for Canada-based HaiSea Marine, a joint venture partnership between the Haisla First Nation and Seaspan ULC.The HAISEA WAMIS harbor tug, the first in its ElectRA 2800SX series, will be part of a fleet of harbor and escort tugs providing services to LNG Canada’s future terminal in British Columbia and is equipped with two steerable, fixed pitch (FP), azimuthing, L-drive propulsion units powered by electric motors integrated on top of each unit.
SAAM Towage Orders Electric Tug Pair for Its Canadian Operations
SAAM Towage announced it has closed an agreement with Teck & Neptune Terminals that will allow the deployment of the first two electric tugs to its fleet.The ElectRA 2300SX tugs are designed by Vancouver-based Robert Allan Ltd. and will be built at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey.Scheduled for delivery during the second half of 2023, the new tugs will each be powered by two separate battery lithium-ion energy storage systems, making them 100% electric and zero-emissions ships. They will be charged by British Columbia’s hydroelectric power grid.
Canadian Coast Guard to Test Biodiesel, Build Hybrid-electric Vessel
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) announced a pair of initiatives aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, including the start of a biodiesel testing project and the launch of the next phase in the construction of the Government of Canada’s first hybrid electric vessel.Earlier this month, following the award of a contract to procure biodiesel from Windsor, Ontario based Sterling Fuels, CCG became Canada's first government agency to trial a 20% biodiesel blend in one of its vessels, the navigation aids tender CCGS Caribou Isle.
A BC Ferries Case Study: Lessons Learned in Setting Underwater Radiated Noise Targets
In a typical year, the waters surrounding British Columbia’s Port of Vancouver host approximately 3,000 deep sea commercial vessels and 19 of the 35 ferries operated by BC Ferries, one of the largest ferry operators in the world. These waters are also home to a wide variety of aquatic wildlife, including the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), which have been listed as endangered in Canada since 2003.With vessel-generated acoustic disturbances identified by Fisheries and Oceans Canada as one of four key threats to the SRKW…
All-electric Ferries Depart Damen Shipyards Galati for Ontario, Canada
A pair of fully-electric road ferries are now on their way from Damen Shipyards Galati to Lake Ontario, Canada, to begin operations. Ordered by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario, Canada, the Amherst Islander II and Wolfe Islander IV, 68 and 98 meters in length respectively, departed the yard on August 26 to be loaded on the semi-submersible transport vessel Super Servant 4 and will arrive in Lake Ontario in mid-September.Both of the open-deck vessels are equipped to be fully-electric…
Canada's New Oil Spill Response Boats Powered by Scania
Engine manufacturer Scania said it has been selected by the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) to power four 52-foot oil spill response landing crafts.Currently in production by family-owned Burlington, Wash welded aluminum boat manufacturer the William E. Munson Company, the vessels are powered by twin keel-cooled 750 HP Scania DI13-liter 088M engines with Twin Disc 5095 marine gearboxes, supplied by distributor Cascade Engine Center. Propulsion is provided by Hamilton 403 waterjets. This combination offers a top speed of 35 knots at full power.
Schottel Propulsion for Five Turkish-built, Canada-bound Tugs
German propulsion firm Schottel has secured an order to deliver a total of ten rudder propellers and two transverse thrusters for five tugs that will serve the LNG carriers stopping at an LNG export facility in Canada.Schottel's equipment will be installed on two LNG-fuelled escort tugs, as well as in three battery-powered harbor tugs. Ordered by Canadian HaiSea Marine, a partnership between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan ULC, the vessels will provide ship assist and towing services to LNG carriers stopping at a new LNG export facility in Kitimat, British Columbia.
Wärtsilä Tapped to Power BC's RAL-designed Escort Tugs
Wärtsilä was tapped to supply the main engines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply systems for two new LNG-fueled escort tugs being built for Canada’s HaiSea Marine, a joint venture between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan Marine Transportation. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., the vessels are under construction at Sanmar Shipyards in Turkey. They are expected to be two of the most environmentally advanced escort tugs operating in the coastal waters of British Columbia in Canada.
Batteries Installed on Auckland's New Electric Tug
Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam recently installed the batteries aboard a fully-electric Reversed Stern Drive tug being built for New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland.In total, some 2,240 batteries, totaling 2,784 kWh, were installed. With this, the RSD-E Tug 2513, named Sparky, will carry out two or more berthing/unberthing operations with up to 70 tonnes bollard pull on a single charge. Following, it will take just two hours for the tug to recharge to its full capacity.For redundancy purposes, the batteries are arranged in strings.
Sanmar to Build Five Tugs for LNG Canada Project
Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards announced it has inked a deal with HaiSea Marine for the build and delivery of three liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled escort tugs and two battery-electric harbor tugs which will provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, B.C., on Canada's west coast.Following an initial tender process which began in 2018, HaiSea Marine has awarded the contract for all five tugs to Sanmar plus an option for a sixth.
The Shipping Industry Embraces Battery Power
The past decade has seen tight restrictions on emissions from vessels, notably with a 2015 move to a .10% sulfur maximum in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in North America and in northern Europe. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) now shapes shipping’s decarbonization future, shipowners are looking at transitions away from fossil fuels. Among the myriad of alternatives are lithium ion batteries and some early forays into hydrogen fuel cells.To date, large batteries are used on short runs…
Canadian Coast Guard Opts for Thordon Bearings
CCGS Terry Fox, one the largest icebreakers in the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) fleet, has returned to service with new Thordon propeller shaft bearings after concluding that fitting laminate phenolic bearings would extend drydock time and costs.The 88-meter-long vessel, built in the 1980s, had been operating Thordon’s water lubricated elastomeric polymer bearings on both shafts for 24 years. Then in 2018 the port shaft was retrofitted with a European made laminate phenolic-type bearing as part of a shaft alignment contract with the manufacturer.In December 2020…
Canadian Car Ferry to Feature Schottel Propulsion
German propulsion maker Schottel has been awarded a contract to deliver main propulsion units for one car ferry of the Canadian company Western Pacific Maritime.The newly built vessel ordered by the British Columbia Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure will be equipped with four high-efficiency Schottel TwinPropellers (STP). The main propulsion consists of four Schottel TwinPropeller units type STP 150 L (360 kW each), driven by PEM motors. Featuring a propeller diameter of 1.1 meters, the STPs enable a speed of up to 13.5 knots.
Seaspan Ferries to Trial Corvus' New Blue Whale ESS
Canadian operator Seaspan Ferries Corporation said it will be the first to trial Corvus Energy’s new Blue Whale ESS, featuring a unique rack-free design of stacking modular blocks to provide higher volumetric battery room energy density and, consequently, maximized passenger or payload capacity.The new large-scale energy storage system (ESS)—a battery system designed for large ships with high zero-emission energy demand, such as cruise ships, large Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries and cargo ships—will be installed on board Seaspan Reliant…