With the recent arrival in British Columbia of HaiSea Warrior, the full fleet of LNG powered escort tugs and battery electric harbour tugs for Canada’s HaiSea Marine have now completed their delivery voyages from Türkiye’s Sanmar Shipyards.
Sister tugs HaiSea Kermode and HaiSea Warrior are two extreme-performance Robert Alan designed RAstar 4000-DF LNG dual fuel escort tugs which will guide LNG carriers in and out from the soon-to-open LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat, BC. They will do so along a 159 nautical mile route between the terminal and the pilot boarding station near Triple Island, which represents the longest escort route in the world.
HaiSea Brave also recently arrived to complete the set of three ElectRA 2800 battery electric tugs, joining its sisters HaiSea Wee’git, and HaiSea Wamis – 2023’s Tug of the Year (as awarded at TugTechnology). These unique tugs will provide ship berthing and unberthing assistance to the LNG carriers in the immediate vicinity of the terminal.
The environmental credentials of this all-new fleet for HaiSea Marine are unequaled worldwide. The five tugs are the firsts to ever receive class society ABS’ ENVIRO+ notation, their highest standard available. HaiSea Wamis recently became the first tug to ever receive an underwater radiated noise notation (ABS UWN), with underwater noise levels in transit a mere 1/10th that of an equivalent diesel mechanical tug. Airborne emissions of both tug types are also mere fractions of traditional counterparts, with the battery electric tugs emitting zero CO2 or other greenhouse gases when operating on their large battery banks charged from the clean local hydroelectric power grid. Easily compliant with IMO Tier III emissions standards (the highest international standard) in any mode of operation, such standards are merely a baseline for what these tugs have achieved.
Measuring 40 metres in length, delivering 105 tonnes of bollard pull, and generating indirect escort steering forces exceeding 175 tonnes, these RAstar 4000-DF are amongst the most high-performing vessels of their type in the world and employ the highest quality escort towing equipment available. Also capable of emergency towing, pollution response, and off-ship fire-fighting, these super-tugs are easily the most formidable tugs in Canada.
The ElectRA 2800 battery electric tugs are exceptional performers themselves with incredible thrust responsiveness and overall handling response delivered by their electric propulsion system and large battery banks. Not only is their underwater noise signature exceptionally low, they are also remarkably quiet aboard which makes them very comfortable for their crews. Just like their larger escort tug cousins, they have deservedly been awarded habitability notations by ABS.
With an impressive list of world-firsts and performance achievements, this fleet of tugs exemplifies how environmental stewardship is a perfect match with the highest standards of performance.
