HY tug will meet tough environmental demands of new Brazilian port

Wärtsilä HYTug puts the emphasis on environmental sustainability, operational efficiency, and lower fuel consumption

JANUARY 11, 2018 — Wärtsilä has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to design an eco friendly harbor tug for with Petrocity, the parent company of a new port facility being built in the Brazilian city of São Mateus.

The environmental demands of the new port are among the most stringent in the world and for this reason, the design will be based on the recently launched Wärtsilä HYTug, which features hybrid propulsion and energy storage using batteries.

The Wärtsilä HYTug puts the emphasis on environmental sustainability, operational efficiency, and lower fuel consumption than with conventional tug designs. The “first-of-its-kind” fully integrated hybrid power module combines engines, the energy storage system, and power electronics optimized to work together through a newly developed energy management system (EMS).

The fuel efficiency of the design has the added benefit of reducing exhaust emission levels.

When operating in “green” mode, it is unlikely that there will be any visible smoke from the Wärtsilä HYTug since the load is being picked-up by the batteries. At the same time, the noise level of the tug will be notably reduced.

“The Wärtsilä HYTug will change the landscape of the tugboat market as battery usage significantly increases environmental sustainability and operational efficiency, while at the same time greatly reducing operating costs,” says Wärtsilä Marine Solutions’ Sales Manager, Mário Barbosa.

“Green port operations are completely aligned with Petrocity’s corporate philosophy and values. We look forward to working with Wärtsilä in developing the kind of harbour tug that meets the criteria that have been established for this project. This will be the first of many others in a huge logistics project which aims at the regional integration of the Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais and Bahia states. It represents a definitive guarantee of the interiorization of the economy in the north of Espírito Santo,” says Petrocity CEO José Roberto.