Tugboats of the future will be electric with hydrogen engines
03 Aug 2023by Jamey Bergman
Anglo-Belgium Corp (ABC) area sales manager Jean-Pierre Props explains the growing pressures on the towage industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the steps the sector is taking in response
Mr Props explains why the growing pressures on the towage industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and port pollutants will drive investment in electric and hydrogen-driven propulsion on tugs, but with support from governments. He also describes how engine solutions for alternative fuels have become more common in the tug sector.
Tugs need to be environmentally friendly, but owners are faced with higher prices; it can be 10-times more expensive for alternative fuels than for diesel.
Mr Props thinks the next tugs will be electric/hybrid vessels with 1,000-kW sets of batteries and a 5,000-kW hydrogen-only engine inside to cover all requirements for towage without emissions.
These would run on electric power from the onboard batteries during general harbour operations, backed by the hydrogen engines for longer distances and higher bollard pull.
There are challenges with storing hydrogen, but solutions are being developed to make this less complicated and costly. ABC has solutions for combustion engines to run on hydrogen or methanol.
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