More sustainable tugboat goes to work in Brazil
Written by Marine Log Staff
WS Rosalvo in the Port of Açu, located in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro
Brazilian port and maritime logistics specialist Wilson Sons started operating its new tugboat WS Rosalvo — equipped with more sustainable technologies — in the Port of Açu, in São João da Barra,Rio de Janeiro, last month. The vessel is the third of six new, more sustainable tugs being built at the company’s shipyards.
A new hydrodynamic design improves hull efficiency and reduces fuel consumption and GHG emissions by up to 14% greenhouse gas emissions. The tugboats are the first in Brazil to meet IMO Tier III NOx reduction limits. Although this standard is only required in emission controlled areas (ECAs), it has been voluntarily adopted by Wilson Sons.
WS Rosalvo is an RSD 2513 escort tug and has FIFI-1-certified fire-fighting equipment with a 2,400 cubic meters per hour flow rate. Designed by Damen Shipyards and measuring 24 meters in length by 13 meters beam, it operates fore and aft with the same efficiency. Bollard pull is over 90 tons, making WS Rosalvo and sister vessels WS Centaurus and WS Orion the most powerful and sustainable tugs in operation in Brazil.
The first two new tugboats, which started operating in July and October last year, have executed around 650 operations. With the delivery of WS Rosalvo, Wilson Sons reached the mark of 151 vessels built in its shipyards. All these tugboats were built with financial support from Brazil’s Merchant Marine Fund (FMM), and with the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) as a financial agent.
“We ensure the best operating and socio-environmental practices in our operations to reaffirm our commitment to reducing emissions. The three new, more sustainable tugboats are the first in the harbor towage industry in Brazil to voluntarily meet the International Maritime Organization’s shipping pollution prevention guidelines, bringing unprecedented efficiency standards to the country. We play an important role in the socio-economic development of Brazil by executing our strategy towards an increasingly more sustainable future,” said Wilson Sons sustainability director Monica Jaén.
