Icebreaking tug will be first vessel with Wärtsilä HY hybrid solution

The new escort tug being built for the Swedish port of Luleå will be powered by two Wärtsilä HY 2 hybrid power modules

DECEMBER 19, 2017 — A 36 m Robert Allan Ltd. design TundRA 3600-H class icebreaking escort tug under construction at Spain’s Gondan Shipbuilding will be the first vessel in operation with a Wärtsilä HY hybrid power solution.

Set for delivery from the shipyard in 2019, the tug is being built for the Port of Luleå, Sweden, located on the Gulf of Bothnia in the northern end of the Baltic Sea.

The vessel will incorporate two Wärtsilä HY 2 hybrid power modules that will deliver both environmental benefits and operational and flexibility advantages.

The Wärtsilä HY scope includes an energy management system that optimizes the combined use of the engines, the energy storage systems, and the power distribution train. The mechanical machinery part is based on two Wärtsilä 26 engines. The Wärtsilä scope also includes the tug’s integrated automation and alarm system. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the shipyard during summer 2018.

The tug will be capable of operating on electrical battery power when in transit. Although it is configured as a mechanical set-up, the “hybrid diesel-electric” mode will allow the number of prime movers utilized to be reduced to just one for various operational tasks. These include ship assist with a bollard pull of up to 55 tons, or 90 tons on two main engines in diesel-mechanical mode. A bollard pull of 100 tons will be available when in boost mode.

The vessel will be capable of being completely independent from additional charging facilities, since re-charging of the energy storage system will be automatically managed by the Energy Management System, the “brain” of the Wärtsilä HY. In addition, the installed onshore electrical connection will give the tug the flexibility to re-charge the energy storage system, even when the tug is berthed at the quay. The Wärtsilä HY product’s operational flexibility will yield significant fuel, emissions, and maintenance cost savings.

“We expect to see the Wärtsilä HY 2 hybrid power module becoming the new technological benchmark for tug propulsion systems given its clear economic, operational, and environmental benefits. The Wärtsilä HY technology opens the door to a new era in shipping, and is based on our unmatched in-house capabilities in a broad range of disciplines,” explains Giulio Tirelli, Director, Marine Engineering, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

“The integrated hybrid functionality of this vessel will give us a bollard pull of up to 100 tons, while saving fuel and maintenance costs and producing emission levels some 20 percent less than from a conventional ship of this type and size. In other words, we shall have first-class performance in both its operation and its environmental impact. We are very pleased to be getting a tug that reflects the future needs of the industry,” says Henrik Vuorinen, Managing Director, Port of Luleå.

“This new vessel will represent the state-of-the-art for modern tugs. The highly advanced technology enhances the overall performance in terms of operations, economics, and environmental impact,” says Daniel Scavuzzo, Gondan Shipbuilders Commercial Manager.

Since the Gulf of Bothnia is typically frozen over in winter, the tug is capable of breaking 1 meter ice at a speed of up to 3 knots and the Wärtsilä HY is designed to cope with these harsh conditions.