RAL Electric Tugs @ Sea Trials

Two electric-powered emissions-free electric tugboats built by Sanmar Shipyards in Türkiye are undergoing sea trials ahead of being delivered to SAAM Towage’s Canadian fleet.

The tugs are based on the ElectRA 2300SX design from Robert Allan Ltd (RAL). They were launched on April 8 and September 9 respectively, and measure 23.4m LOA, with an 11.9m beam and maximum draft of 5.5m, and a bollard pull of 70 tonnes based on a battery power of 3616 kWh.

The tugs have Schottel SRP460 LE thrusters with 2,700mm diameter propellers, and can achieve a speed ahead of 11.5 knots. Their two CAT C32 back-up gen sets, each producing 940ekW at 1,800 rev/min, are IMO Tier III compliant. At full capacity, the new units will reduce 2,400 tons of greenhouse gases each year.